The actress Lindsay Lohan is suing Fox News for a 2014 report saying she and her mother used cocaine together.
In a Feb. 4, 2014 on-air report, Michelle Fields said in a segment with Fox News’ Sean Hannity: “Lindsay Lohan’s mom is doing cocaine with her,” the Guardian reported.
According to the New York Daily News, the comments were made during a segment, “Early Train Wrecks and Tragedy about to Happen,” which focused on “celebrities who had died of ODs, including Heath Ledger, Ana Nicole Smith, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson and Elvis.”
After the segment originally aired, the Lohans sent a letter complaining to Fox News, according to TMZ. The Feb. 18, 2014 letter, published by TMZ, called Fields’ comments about the Lohans “outrageously slanderous and defamatory. During the show’s broadcast, Ms. Fields inappropriately and shockingly stated, unequivocally and as a matter of fact, that ‘Lindsay Lohan’s mom is doing cocaine with her’ — which statement is false.”
The lawsuit is against Fox News, Hannity and Fields.
The Lohans said the comments were “totally irresponsible and malicious innuendo,” Reuters reported. Lohan’s lawyer, Mark Heller, told Reuters: “People should be able to feel that if they hear something on TV or read something in the media, it should be truthful.” He went on, “Lindsay Lohan is on the way toward restoring her career and getting back on track, and something like this can be very fragile and hurtful to her.”
A Fox News spokesperson sent iMediaEthics the following statement on the lawsuit:
“We will defend this case to the fullest. The remark about which Lindsay and Dina Lohan complain was made on live television by a guest nearly a year ago. We removed the segment from our archives altogether last February and also apologized on-air. At that time, the Lohans did not make any demands for money, and we are surprised they are doing so now.”