By LawInspectsJessica Tarlov Lawsuit is a defamation suit involving Fox News Anchor, Jessica Tarlov and former associate of Hunter Biden and whistleblower, Tony Bobulinski. The allegations concern certain statements which Tarlov made on Bobulinski, which the latter deemed as lies and defamatory against him. Jessica Tarlov is a political strategist for the Democratic Party and co-hosts a show called The Five on Fox News. Tony Bobulinski, on the other hand, is a philanthropist and global investor who is known for leveling serious allegations against his former associate and former President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.
Tony Bobulinski filed a defamation lawsuit against Jessica Tarlov in March 2024 over a statement made by her on air during an episode of the show called The Five on Fox News. Even though Tarlov clarified her comment after receiving a notice, Bobulinski didn’t accept it as sufficient and sued her for $30 million.
Reason for the Lawsuit
On March 20, 2024, an episode of The Five was aired on Fox News. In this particular episode, the resident liberal co-host of the show, Jessica Tarlov made the statement “ Tony Bobulinski’s lawyers’ fees have been paid by a Trump Super PAC. That’s as recent as January”. Tarlov was speaking in reference to Bobulinski’s appearance before a Congressional committee.
It is pertinent to note here that Tony Bobulinski worked with Hunter Biden, son of the then US President Joe Biden, for a brief period of time. He was a key witness for the Republican Party to connect the president to his son’s business dealings, during the impeachment proceedings against the president.
Jessica Tarlov received a notice from Bobulinski’s attorney on March 21, 2025, requesting retraction of her statement and an apology. Subsequently, she went on air and made another statement “What was actually said during the hearing was that the law firm representing Mr. Bobulinski was paid by a Trump PAC. I have seen no indications those payments were made in connection with Mr. Bobulinski’s legal fees, and he denies that they were.”
Bobulinski’s attorneys did not accept the clarification. In a second letter to Tarlov, the attorneys said she did not make a complete retraction and apology, and her on-air clarification was half-hearted, incomplete and unacceptable.
Fox News, on the other hand, issued a statement that Jessica Tarlov’s clarification made on March 21 was accurate and made it clear that she was not aware of anything to indicate that the payments made by Trump PAC to Elections, LLC were in connection with Tony Bobulinski’s legal fees. The media house also refused to issue any more clarifications and expressed its resolve to defend against inaccurate claims.
Content of the Lawsuit
On March 28, 2024, Tony Bobulinski filed a lawsuit against Jessica Tarlov. The suit was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Apart from Tony Bobulinski, the other plaintiff in the lawsuit was Stefan Passantino, Bobulinski’s attorney.
The lawsuit alleged that Jessica Tarlov lied on air when she claimed that Tony Bobulinski’s legal fees were paid by a Trump Super PAC. Lawyers appearing for the plaintiffs argued that Tarlov’s statement “OK, Tony Bobulinski’s lawyers’ fees have been paid by a Trump Super PAC. That’s as recent as January” intended to achieve media headlines and ratings.
According to the lawsuit, the comment made by Tarlov harmed the reputation of both Bobulinski and Passantino, and was an attempt to discredit Bobulinski’s testimony before the oversight committee. Furthermore, the lawsuit claimed that Passantino was paid solely by Bobulinski in the previous years for legal representation, and same was the case on March 20, 2024, with no third-party payment to Passantino for representing Bobulinski.
The lawsuit sought $30 million in damages for defaming and undermining the character of Tony Bobulinski.
Verdict in the Lawsuit
On November 26, 2024, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed the lawsuit against Jessica Tarlov. The district judge, J. Paul Oetken, ruled that even though Tarlov’s initial statement was inaccurate, Bobulinski failed to show that the statement damaged his reputation.
The court also ordered Bobulinski to pay the attorney’s fees incurred by Tarlov in defending herself, under New York’s anti-SLAPP statute. Anti-SLAPP statute is a law designed to prevent lawsuits which are filed with the purpose of imposing excessive legal costs on opponents.