Former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal Sues Fox News For Defamation Over Extortion Accusations

Former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal sued Fox News on Thursday for defamation over a year-old Tucker Carlson segment on Fox News.

The lawsuit was filed in New York over a segment last December on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” where the host accused McDougal of extortion. Carlson’s accusation came after it was revealed McDougal had told the National Enquirer about an alleged affair she had with President Donald Trump in 2006.

No damages were specified in the filing.

McDougal’s story was one of several accusations of infidelity on Trump’s part, along with adult film star, Stormy Daniels. Carlson accused the pair of approaching “Donald Trump and threatened to ruin his career and humiliate his family if he doesn’t give them money. Now that sounds like a classic case of extortion.”

McDougal’s accusations became a focal point of Michael Cohen’s hearings after it was revealed he worked to try and bury the story in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. Cohen reportedly coordinated with American Media CEO David Pecker to purchase the story from McDougal to hide it, a practice called “catch and kill.”

The deal barred McDougal from speaking about the affair until April 2018 after American Media reached a settlement in a suit she filed.

“Carlson asserted several ‘facts’ regarding McDougal which are demonstrably false,” McDougal’s lawyer, Eric Bernstein, wrote in the lawsuit. “Indeed, every individual involved in the payment that Trump caused to be made to McDougal never once stated that she extorted Trump or otherwise committed any crime or unlawful act whatsoever. This statement is completely untrue and was made knowing it was untrue and with reckless disregard for the truth.”

Fox News said in response to the suit it would “vigorously defend Tucker Carlson against these meritless claims.”