Judge Tosses Fox News Suit Filed By Slain DNC Staffer's Parents

WASHINGTON, DC -- In a major victory for Fox News, a judge tossed a lawsuit filed against them by the parents of a slain Democratic National Committee staffer who was the subject of a debunked conspiracy theory published by the network, according to a report.

The Daily Beast reports that the judge dismissed the suit by Joel and Mary Rich, the parents of Seth Rich, who has been the subject of many conspiracy theories since he was murdered in D.C. two years ago. Both police and his parents believe he was killed in a botched robbery, but because he worked at the DNC and his death came at the time that DNC emails were being leaked to the public, he became part of a favorite conspiracy theory on the right that Hillary Clinton had him killed for leaking the emails. U.S. intelligence agencies unanimously blame the Russians for the leaks.

Although this conspiracy theory lurked in far-right corners of the Internet, Fox News gave it legitimacy by airing a since-retracted report that argued the conspiracy theory may be right.

The Richs sued Fox News reporter Malia Zimmerman and guest Ed Butowsky, claiming that they conspired to inflict emotional distress upon the family with the story.

However, District Judge George Daniels tossed the case because the plaintiffs had "not adequately" backed up the claim, according to the Daily Beast. He said while the plaintiffs' feelings were understandable, a general allegation of an agreement to collaborate against them wasn't enough to form the basis of "intentional infliction of emotional distress."

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