In case you’ve been tuning into The Five on Fox News lately, there’s a good chance you already know Jessica Tarlov. You know, she’s the unapologetic one making it known that her political leaning is liberal against what is predominantly a conservative panel. Sure enough though, the complete opposite of this is Tony Bobulinski, you may have heard of him if you’ve been following the entire Biden family’s drama. Bobulinski happens to be the former business partner-now-turned-cutthroat critic of Hunter Biden and has had Republicans swooning over the dirt he aired out.
So what happened? Bear witnesses, because this one is going to be a turbulent ride because we’re about to get down to the details of Jessica Tarlov Lawsuit. Alright, here we go.
Alright, What’s The Comment That Sparked All This Chaos?
Well, if you don’t know yet, you see, during one of those heated debates on The Five in March 2024, Tarlov made a comment that ignited what became quite possibly a legal explosion. She stated that Bobulinski’s legal fees were supposedly paid by a Trump Super PAC. It’s a bold accusation, and, to say the least, it didn’t sit well with Bobulinski.
And as you may have suspected already, yes, his team wasted no time in calling it not only false but also reputation-shattering. They demanded a retraction immediately and a public apology from Tarlov and Fox News. And while Tarlov did address the importance of the issue the next day- clarifying that, yes, a Trump PAC added payment to a law firm but there was no proof it covered Bobulinski’s bills, it wasn’t enough for him. No, Bobulinski decided to go nuclear: slapping Tarlov with a $30 million defamation lawsuit, you know? And that’s why we’re seeing all this courtroom drama in the first place.
Well, Here’s The Courtroom Drama
Sure enough, when the case finally broke into the New York federal courts, Judge J. Paul Oetken had a few things to say and just so you know though, none of it was what Bobulinski might have wanted to hear, you know? Like? Well, a short summary of it all is that there was no concrete evidence that Tarlov’s words did any real damage to Bobulinski’s reputation as a businessman, you know? So, as per the Judge, it is all baseless and no one can be convicted because of it. By this point though, we think you should know that under New York law, it is not defamation just to hurt someone’s feelings or even to tarnish their public image. Just putting it out there simply!
That’s all it? No, sure enough, it was going to get worse for Bobulinski, and that’s precisely what happened. Like, as per the New York anti-SLAPP law, placing the burden on Bobulinski to pay Tarlov’s legal fees. Ouch! And sure enough, it was bad news for Bobulinski, and we all can feel that at this point, don’t we?
Why This Case Actually Matters
It is not about public people throwing legal shade at each other but a milestone of the first time in history that federal courts awarded legal fees under New York’s anti-SLAPP law, you know? Yes, that’s a HUGE thing right there. It puts another stamp on the fact that these courts are all about fending for free speech, especially in regard to the media.
This is also a reminder of how difficult a line has been drawn between free speech and accountability. Sure enough, Tarlov did run a correction shortly after her statement, but this whole mess had already been stirred. Then there’s Bobulinski, a guy many now see as a whistleblower, feeling like he got the short end of the stick in this court of public opinion.