Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Washlite v. Fox News
Washlite v. Fox News
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IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF WASHINGTON
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COUNTY OF KING
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15 Defendants.
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I. INTRODUCTION
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1.1 Plaintiff, Washington League for Increased Transparency and Ethics
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20 Hallock, brings this citizen’s action against Fox News, Fox News Group, Fox News Corporation,
21 Rupert Murdoch, AT&T TV, and Comcast (“Defendants”) for violations of the Consumer
22 Protection Act, RCW 19.86 (“CPA”). The CPA declares unlawful and prohibits deceptive acts or
23 practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce. RCW 19.86.020.
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1.2 Fox News and the other named Defendants willfully and maliciously engaged in a
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2 novel Coronavirus, COVID-19 [hereinafter, “the virus”]. While acting in the broad stream of
12 Defendants’ campaign of deception led viewers to take unnecessary risks and ignore the dangers
13 of the virus, especially dangers posed to the elderly, immunocompromised, and those with
15 deprived the public of information necessary to prevent and mitigate transmission of the virus
16 across Washington State. Defendants actions dissuaded the public, including elderly viewers,
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from taking necessary precautions to protect themselves from contracting the virus. Defendants’
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misrepresentations and omissions are a serious public health issue.
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1.5 Defendants are thus liable for declaratory and injunctive relief and other appropriate
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relief under the CPA, as detailed herein. Additionally, Plaintiffs seek a formal, clear and ringing
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retraction of Defendants’ representations that the virus is a hoax.
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II. THE PARTIES
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25 Washington. The League’s Board is composed of David Koenig, Sherry Bockwinkel, Lori
2 Washington, including King County, including those with written contracts for the provision of
12 2.5 The Fox Corporation owns the Fox News Group and is a necessary party to this case.
13 2.6 AT&T TV and Comcast are cable news providers under contract with WASHLITE
14 members to provide Fox News programming. They are named only insofar as they may have
15 interests that would make them necessary parties, and no relief is sought from them.
16 2.7 Rupert Murdoch is a part owner of Fox and is the CEO of Fox News.
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2.8 The King County Superior Court has jurisdiction over the parties and subject matter
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of this claim.
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III. JURISDICTION AND VENUE
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3.1 This Court has subject matter jurisdiction over the Defendants under RCW 19.86 as a
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forum jurisdiction under the black letter precedent of International Shoe Co., 326 U.S. 310
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(1945).
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24 3.2 Similarly, Plaintiff has members residing and/or conducting business in King County
25 and can bring this action in accordance with RCW 19.86 to promote and protect those interests.
2 part, in King County, Washington, and the Defendants conduct business in and through King
3 County, Washington.
4 3.4 This Court has jurisdiction over the parties and subject matter of this case.
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IV. FACTS
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4.1. Fox News is the dominant subscription cable news network in the United States. As of
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September 2018, approximately 87,118,000 US households (90.8% of television subscribers)
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received Fox News. In 2019, Fox News was the top-rated cable network averaging 2.5 million
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viewers. Fox News is provided in 86 countries and overseas territories worldwide.
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4.2 In February and March of 2020, at various times that will be shown, including the
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12 March 9, 2020 broadcasts of Sean Hannity and Trish Reagan, Defendants acted in bad faith to
13 willfully and maliciously disseminate false information denying and minimizing the danger
14 posed by the spread of the novel Coronavirus, or COVID-19, which is now recognized as an
15 international pandemic.
16 4.3 This misinformation was disseminated to further Defendants’ business plan and to sell
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advertising by creating controversy through the dissemination of false information regardless of
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the reasonably foreseeable adverse effects such misinformation would have upon the American
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public and public health and safety. Such conduct constitutes unfair and deceptive trade practices
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in the broad stream of intra- and international commerce.
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4.4 As a result of this misinformation by this dominant subscription news network, a
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continuing falsehood has been fostered that the virus is a “hoax”, a “conspiracy,” and that it is no
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25 4.5 As a result of reasonable reliance upon the false information spread by the Defendants
2 actions to contain the spread of the pandemic were postponed, delayed, or ignored. The
12 continue to impede the effective implementation of necessary measures to control the explosive
14 4.7 WASHLITE includes among its members citizens in high risk groups for fatal
15 consequences from contracting the Coronavirus, those who have been diagnosed with the virus,
16 and those who have been adversely impacted in their business and property by the proximate and
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direct effects of Defendant’s actions.
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4.8 By creating a false belief in a statistically significant percent of the population that the
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coronavirus is a “Hoax,” the Defendants have created an epidemiological hazard. A subset of the
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population has and will continue to ignore or resist reasonable and necessary efforts to control
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and mitigate the virus and prevent mass death. Elderly, immunocompromised, and viewers with
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underlying health conditions are particularly at risk. Elderly, immunocompromised, and
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24 members of the public with underlying health conditions who are non-viewers are also put at risk
25 by viewers who ignore the warnings of public officials and spread the disease asymptomatically.
2 persons, in that the delay and obstruction of efforts to control the spread of the pandemic, which
3 are the direct and proximate result of Defendant’s conduct, has had and will continue to have
4 severe and potentially irredeemable impacts upon the Plaintiff’s persons, properties, and
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businesses.
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4.10 All actions of the Defendants were taken willfully and wantonly on behalf of their
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master, principals, and superiors, with full knowledge of the potential for irremediable and
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irreversible harm to result from their actions.
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4.11 Defendants Fox News, the Fox News Group, the Fox Corporation, Rupert Murdoch,
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and other named Defendants are jointly and severally liable for the depraved actions described
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12 herein under the doctrines of master and servant, principal and agent, and Respondeat superior.
13 4.12 Defendants and each of them were negligent and breached regular and elevated duties
14 of care and their express or implied duties under the written contracts held by members of
15 WASHLITE for the provision of Fox News, and created an uncertainty as to their rights under
16 said contracts.
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4.13 While acting in the broad stream of commerce, Defendants knowingly disseminated
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false, erroneous, and incomplete information, which was reasonably relied upon by the public
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and which had the effect of delaying and interfering with the implementation of effective
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mitigation and countermeasures against the virus. Defendants actions created an ongoing
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uncertainty amongst some public officers and members of the public as to the dangers of the
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virus and the rapidity with which the virus spreads.
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24 4.14 The actions of the Defendants were taken on behalf of, by and for their masters,
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V. FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION
10 Consumer Protection Act
11 5.1 Plaintiff realleges and incorporates by reference the allegations set forth in each of the
13 5.2 Defendants are “persons” within the meaning of the CPA. RCW 19.86.010(1).
14 5.3 Defendants conduct trade within the meaning of CPA. RCW 19.86.010(2).
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5.4 Defendants engaged in unfair or deceptive acts or practices within the meaning of
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RCW 19.86.020 by representing the novel Coronavirus as a hoax while misrepresenting the
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dangers of the virus. These representations were deceptive because they caused consumers to fail
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to take appropriate action to protect themselves from the virus, mitigate its spread, and
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contributed to a public health crisis and preventable mass death.
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5.5 The CPA prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices in trade or commerce. RCW
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23 consumers.
24 5.6 An act or practice may be unfair if it offends public policy, is immoral, unethical,
3 5.7 Defendants’ conduct affected and continues to affect the public interest.
4 5.8 Defendants’ acts and practices alleged in this Complaint violate RCW 19.86.020, for
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which relief is appropriate as prayed for below.
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VI. SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION
7 Uniform Declaratory Judgements Act
8 6.1 Under the Washington State Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act, courts of record
9 within their respective jurisdictions enjoy broad general powers to declare rights, status and other
10 legal relations in any proceeding where declaratory relief is sought, in which a judgment or
11 decree will terminate the controversy or remove an uncertainty, whether or not further relief is or
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could be claimed. (See RCW 19.86.010-030).
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6.2 Defendants, and each of them, by their acts described herein, including dissemination
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of false information that a viral infectious disease creating a global pandemic was a “Hoax,”
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created an “actual controversy.” Defendants dissemination of false and erroneous information
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created uncertainty in the minds of viewers, the general public, and public officers as to the
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dangers posed by the coronavirus and the appropriate actions to counteract it, and created a
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20 6.3 These uncertainties give rise to a cause of action under the Uniform Declaratory
21 Judgments Act for declaratory relief as prayed for below that will resolve this actual and existing
22 controversy between genuinely adverse parties. Such a declaration will conclusively terminate
23 the controversy giving rise to this proceeding and is in the public interest.
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11 WHEREFORE, Plaintiff, WASHLITE, prays for relief pursuant to each cause of action
21 “News” via cable news contracts that the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19 was a “Hoax,” and that
22 the virus was otherwise not a danger to public health and safety;
23 D. That the Court issue a temporary and permanent injunction, as authorized by RCW
24 19.86, prohibiting and restraining Defendants and their representatives, successors, assigns,
25 officers, agents, servants, employees, and all other persons acting or claiming to act for, on
2 unlawful conduct complained of herein, namely, falsely and deceptively disseminating “News”
3 that the novel Coronavirus is a “Hoax” that is not a danger to public health and safety, or
4 otherwise interfering with or undermining the legitimate control measures imposed within the
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State of Washington for the limited time period under which the pandemic is brought under
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control and until the pandemic is brought under control;
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E. That a Declaratory Ruling issue under the Seal of this Court declaring that the
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Defendants committed the Tort of Outrage by falsely and deceptively disseminating “News” via
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cable news contracts that the novel Coronavirus was a “Hoax,” and that the virus was otherwise
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not a danger to public health and safety;
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12 F. That the Court make such orders pursuant to RCW 19.86 as it deems appropriate to
13 provide that Plaintiff recovers the cost of this action, including reasonable attorneys’ fees;
14 G. That the Court give Plaintiff leave to amend the Complaint to conform to the
20 By Counsel,
21 _/s/Elizabeth Hallock_________________
Elizabeth Hallock WSB #41825
22 Law Office of Elizabeth Hallock, PLLC
420 S 72nd Ave, Suite 180
23 Yakima, WA 98908
Ph: 360-909-6327
24 [email protected]
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