Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax resigns from law firm
After two women accused Fairfax of sexual assault, the firm hired outside counsel to investigate his tenure, uncovering no evidence of misconduct while he was an employee.
U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga dismissed a $400 million lawsuit filed by Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax against CBS on Tuesday.
Fairfax initially sued CBS in September 2019 for defamation after the network aired interviews with two women, Meredith Watson and Vanessa Tyson, who accused him of sexual assault.
“CBS published, promoted and amplified these false statements during separate interviews with CBS This Morning’s Gayle King broadcast by CBS to a national audience,” according to the lawsuit.
Fairfax, a Democrat, said CBS “had a clear agenda and media bias in seeking to support #MeToo accusers” after the network was hit with its own internal issues.
VIRGINIA LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR'S LIBEL LAWSUIT AGAINST CBS DISMISSED BY JUDGE
CBS claimed Fairfax's lawsuit was an abuse of the legal process, but Trenga didn't agree, according to The Associated Press. The judge did, however, side with CBS on the issue of "actual malice." The judge also declined the network's request to be reimbursed for attorney's fees
Trenga ruled that the media company reported both sides of the issue fairly, and highlighted Fairfax's claims of innocence, which removed libel from the equation.
Fairfax reportedly provided a statement on Tuesday saying he will appeal the decision to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va.
The allegations against him came in February of last year, after Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, also a Democrat, was pressured to resign from office when a photo of him in blackface surfaced.
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Northam and Fairfax continue to serve in office, but Fairfax resigned from his law firm in July 2019.
The firm said it had conducted an internal investigation into Fairfax and found no evidence of misconduct during his time there.
Fox News' Brian Flood, Garrett Tenney and The Associated Press contributed to this report
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