Eric Bolling Suing HuffPo Journalist Over Lewd Photo Allegation

Legal Insurrection

"Eric Bolling has been suspended from FOX News, as we mentioned in a recent post: FOX News Suspends Eric Bolling for Allegedly Sending Lewd Texts

"The whole thing is based on a report from the Huffington Post by Yashar Ali which used multiple anonymous sources. Now Bolling is suing Ali.

"Ashley Cullins and Jeremy Barr write at the Hollywood Reporter:

Fox News Host Eric Bolling Sues Journalist for $50M Over Lewd Photo Allegation

Recently suspended Fox News host Eric Bolling is suing journalist Yashar Ali for defamation and is seeking $50 million in damages.

The lawsuit comes just days after Ali wrote an Aug. 4 story for HuffPost claiming that more than a dozen sources told him Bolling sent “an unsolicited photo of male genitalia via text message to at least two colleagues at Fox Business and one colleague at Fox News.”

On Saturday, Fox News suspended Bolling — recently a host on the talk show Fox News Specialists and Cashin’ In and formerly of The Five — amid an investigation into the claims. He has worked at Fox News since 2008.

Ali wrote Wednesday on Twitter that he has received a summons from Bolling and says he stands by his reporting and will protect his sources. In the initial story, Ali says he spoke to 14 sources on the condition of anonymity because they either currently work at the networks, can’t speak to press without permission or signed confidentiality agreements.

The summons, which was filed Wednesday in New York state court, says Bolling is seeking both damages and injunctive relief arising from Ali’s efforts to injure his reputation through “intentional and/or highly reckless publication of actionable false and misleading statements” about his conduct and character.

"Bolling seems eager to get this cleared up:" . . .