Paris mayor vs. Fox News: Can a foreign city really sue a US news outlet?
The mayor of Paris announced Tuesday that she plans to sue Fox News for sullying the image of Paris with its 'no go zones' reporting. This may be the first time a municipality has attempted to sue a US television network.
The mayor of Paris announced Tuesday that she plans to sue Fox News for sullying the image of Paris with its 'no go zones' reporting. This may be the first time a municipality has attempted to sue a US television network.
[Updated Jan. 22, 3 p.m.]聽The mayor of Paris announced Tuesday that the city plans to sue Fox News for inaccurate reports about Muslim 鈥渘o-go zones,鈥� where residents supposedly live under Sharia law and non-Muslims, including police, are not welcome.
鈥淲hen we鈥檙e insulted, and when we鈥檝e had an image, then I think we鈥檒l have to sue, I think we鈥檒l have to go to court, in order to have these words removed,鈥� Mayor Anne Hidalgo聽told CNN鈥檚 海角大神e Amanpour Tuesday. "The image of Paris has been prejudiced, and the honor of Paris has been prejudiced."
The likelihood of such a suit actually holding up in court is murky, at best.
If the city of Paris does attempt to bring Fox News to court, it may be the first time an entire city has sued a US news organization.
鈥淚鈥檝e never heard of a municipality bringing a libel claim before. It strikes me that it would run afoul of the rule that the statement has to be about an identifiable person or group or corporation,鈥� Jeffrey Pyle, a partner at Prince Lobel Tye LLP in Boston,聽told the Washington Post.
While French privacy law tends to favor claimants, libel laws tend to be more defendant friendly, with extensive procedural formalities and a three-month statute of limitations, wrote lawyers from the Arizona law firm Kelly/Warner in a聽blog about defamation laws in France.
Even if Fox News is brought to court and loses the suit, the news outlet may not have to adhere to a penalty levied in France.
The SPEECH Act (Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Constitutional Heritage Act), signed into law by President Obama in 2010, disallows US courts from enforcing overseas judgments that are inconsistent with First Amendment rights. This means that it is unlikely Fox would be obligated to pay even the most meager sum.
For its part, Fox News has issued four on-air apologies for not questioning the guest who first introduced the idea of "no go zones," which were derided as absurd by French news organizations, and for the repeated reiteration of the claim made by several Fox News correspondents.
Michael聽Clemente,聽Fox聽News'聽executive聽vice聽president聽of聽news released the following statement Tuesday.
"We empathize聽with聽the聽citizens聽of聽France聽as聽they聽go聽through聽a聽healing聽process聽and聽return聽to聽everyday life.聽However,聽we聽find聽the聽mayor's聽comments聽regarding聽a聽lawsuit聽misplaced."