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Kevin O’Leary Is Sued by Opponents He Claimed Were Foreign Agents
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- Two Utah residents, political strategist Gabi Finlayson and lawyer Josh Kanter, filed a defamation lawsuit against celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary for falsely accusing them of acting as Chinese agents.
- O’Leary made these accusations after they questioned his plans to build a large data center near the Great Salt Lake, leading to online harassment and conspiracy theories targeting the plaintiffs.
- The lawsuit, filed in federal court, claims O’Leary’s statements caused significant harm to their personal lives and businesses, seeking compensation for reputational damage without specifying an amount.
- This legal action is part of broader controversy surrounding O’Leary’s data center project, which has influenced Utah state politics and contributed to the defeat of the State Senate president in a recent Republican primary.
- Finlayson emphasized the severe impact of the false accusations, highlighting the stress and fear caused by the rapid spread of damaging misinformation.
