2 Utah Residents Sue Kevin O'Leary Over Chinese Agent Defamation Claims
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 15
2 Utah Residents Sue Kevin O'Leary Over Chinese Agent Defamation Claims
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 15
Summary
Two Utah residents — political strategist Gabi Finlayson and lawyer-nonprofit founder Josh Kanter — sued Kevin O'Leary in federal court, alleging he falsely branded them Chinese agents after they challenged his data center project.
The complaint says O'Leary repeated the accusations in multiple Fox Business appearances, even though the suit says the claims were baseless, triggering online harassment and conspiracy theories that damaged both plaintiffs' reputations and businesses.
No dollar amount was specified, but the lawsuit seeks compensation for business and reputational harm tied to what it calls a smear campaign against local critics of the project.
The case adds to turmoil around O'Leary's plan to build what he has described as the world's largest data center near the Great Salt Lake, a proposal that has roiled Utah politics and helped unseat the state Senate president in a Republican primary last month.