Bill O’Reilly, Greta Van Susteren of Fox News Hit With Defamation Lawsuit

Fox News Channel hosts Bill O’Reilly and Greta Van Susteren are being sued by Aviva Nash, the owner of the Drum Cafe, for defamation (i.e., character assassination) and infliction of emotional stress.

The lawsuit against the two Fox personalities stems from the allegation that they unfairly mocked Nash on TV earlier this month in connection with the scandal about the lavish and wasteful Las Vegas junket by General Services administration employees on the taxpayers’ dime. On their shows, both Fox News anchors regularly cover wasteful federal government spending.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Nash filed a lawsuit in Bronx Superior Court that alleges the Fox News personalities accused her of being a con artist who steals from U.S. taxpayers.” Nash reportedly believes that her business has suffered as a result of the Fox News segments.

The Aviva Nash lawsuit evidently also names Fox News itself, as well as reporter Juliet Huddy, as additional defendants.

Mediaite points out that “None of the Fox hosts mentioned Nash or her business by name in any of the segments critical of the GSA, but they did describe the services her firm provides.”

The Drum Cafe’s website summarizes its services, in part, as:

“Building teams, uniting companies and motivating staff through interactive drumming. With a team of world class drummers, a specialized facilitator, and a drum for each individual, Drum Cafe supports change and transformation in the corporate community.”

In particular, Nash described O’Reilly’s commentary as “debasing, demeaning, humiliating, degrading, defaming and denigrating.”

Watch the segment on The O’Reilly Factor from July 25 in which Bill and Juliet Huddy discuss the “hippy-dippy chick” and the “banging of the drum thing.”

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Do you think this lawsuit against O’Reilly and Van Susteren is going anywhere?