California Governor Gavin Newsom filed a $787 million defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Friday, accusing the network of intentionally misleading viewers about his communications with President Trump.
The suit focuses on comments made by host Jesse Watters, who alleged on air that Newsom lied about his last phone call with Trump before the deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles this month.
Newsom’s legal team argues that Watters’ show aired a deceptively edited clip of Trump suggesting he had spoken with Newsom just before sending 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles, contradicting the governor’s public timeline. Newsom maintains his last conversation with Trump was a 16-minute call on June 7, two days before Trump ordered the deployment, and that Trump misspoke during his June 10 remarks to reporters.
Watters aired the edited footage later that evening and questioned why Newsom would lie, displaying a call log that actually aligned with Newsom’s account. Newsom’s lawyers contend this broadcast misled viewers and damaged the governor’s political standing.
The lawsuit was filed in Delaware Superior Court, the same jurisdiction where Fox News is incorporated. The $787 million figure mirrors the amount Fox paid Dominion Voting Systems in 2023 to settle a defamation case over 2020 election coverage.
Newsom filed the suit in his personal capacity and plans to cover any associated penalties from his campaign account, according to aides. Any proceeds would be directed to anti-Trump initiatives.
The lawyers said Newsom is prepared to drop the case if Fox issues a retraction and Watters delivers an on-air apology. In addition to defamation, the lawsuit claims Fox violated California’s Unfair Competition Law, which prohibits deceptive business practices.
