A federal judge in New York dismissed Tony Bobulinski’s $30 million defamation lawsuit against Fox News host Jessica Tarlov and ordered him to pay her legal fees under New York’s anti-SLAPP law.
The case stemmed from Tarlov’s January 2024 statement on The Five, where she said a Trump super PAC paid for Bobulinski’s legal fees. She later clarified on-air that while the law firm had received PAC payments, she had no evidence they were for his legal fees.
Bobulinski, a former Hunter Biden associate, claimed defamation and demanded retractions. Judge J. Paul Oetken ruled Bobulinski failed to show actual damage to his reputation or profession.
Fox News supported Tarlov, calling the lawsuit meritless. The ruling marked the first federal case applying New York’s anti-SLAPP fee-shifting statute.
