Kevin O'Leary sued over defamation claim linking Utah data‑center opponents to China

Kevin O'Leary appeared on Fox News on May 24 and asserted that members of the Alliance for a Better Utah, a group opposing his planned data‑center project, were funded by China. The alliance, along with Elevate Strategies, filed a federal defamation lawsuit in Utah against O'Leary and Fox News, alleging severe reputational harm, economic losses, emotional distress, and threats to personal safety.

Fox News later issued a public correction and apology, stating it had no evidence of Chinese funding. O'Leary subsequently posted on social media that he had no evidence of such ties and retracted the allegation. Both O'Leary and Fox News said they will vigorously defend against the suit.