Fox News has reached a settlement with the parents of Seth Rich, a Democratic National Committee staffer whose murder sparked a range of conspiracy theories. Fox News hosts had linked Rich to email leaks that abetted President Trump’s election in 2016.
Seth Rich was shot and killed in Washington in July 2016. He was 27. The case, believed to be a robbery attempt, remains unsolved.
A story on the Fox News website in spring 2017 suggested Rich’s murder was related to leaking DNC emails to WikiLeaks before the election. Host Sean Hannity spoke of a connection between the murder and the leaks on the air, as did other hosts on Fox News.
Fox News retracted the article a week later. The New York Times noted that Hannity said “I retracted nothing” on his radio program.
Joel and Mary Rich filed a lawsuit against Fox News in 2018, accusing the network of “extreme and outrageous” coverage.
In a statement, the Rich parents said they are “pleased with the settlement,” whose terms were not divulged.
Fox News said it is “pleased with the resolution” and hopes Rich’s parents find “peace and solace.”
