Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, has filed a lawsuit against right-wing network Fox News for broadcasting what he claims are unauthorized nude images of him in a miniseries.
According to court documents filed on Monday, the series titled “The Trial of Hunter Biden” aired in 2022 on Fox Nation, an online platform owned by the Murdoch family, known for its conservative viewpoints.
The miniseries, depicted as a fictional criminal trial, included disclaimers that the proceedings were fictitious. It portrayed Hunter Biden facing accusations of corruption, a narrative that has long been promoted by supporters of former President Donald Trump, citing Biden’s previous business dealings in Ukraine and China.
In his complaint, Hunter Biden alleges that the series used actual images of him in compromising positions, showing him either nude or engaged in sexual acts. These depictions, he argues, constitute “revenge porn” and are unauthorized.
The legal action marks a significant escalation in the ongoing controversies surrounding Hunter Biden’s public image and the narratives surrounding his business activities abroad.
“Fox published and disseminated these intimate images to its vast audience of millions as part of an entertainment program in order to humiliate, harass, annoy and alarm Mr. Biden and to tarnish his reputation.”
The images originated from a laptop that Hunter Biden dropped off at a computer repair shop, but which he never collected.
Its contents have been circulating ever since, and are the subject of widespread conspiracy theories as well as embarrassing fodder for the political opposition.
“This entirely politically motivated lawsuit is devoid of merit,” Fox News said in a statement.