‘Shark Tank’ Star Sued After Admitting He Had ‘No Evidence’ for Explosive Chinese Communist Party Claims

Weeks after claiming he had “no evidence” that opponents of his proposed Utah AI data center were funded by China, Kevin O’Leary has been sued for defamation by the advocacy groups and individuals he publicly linked to the Chinese government.

According to a report from The New York Times published on July 15, Utah residents Gabi Finlayson and Josh Kanter filed the lawsuit against the Shark Tank star in federal court. The pair allege O’Leary’s comments sparked online harassment and led to false claims that they were agents of the Chinese Communist party, which caused significant damage to their reputations and businesses.

According to the complaint, O’Leary, 72, made multiple television appearances in May and June where he accused Finlayson and Kanter of being “proxies for the Chinese government.” The complaint also alleged that he falsely claimed that they were acting as unregistered foreign agents, laundering money and that he had reported them to federal authorities.

The lawsuit alleges the remarks were broadcast repeatedly on Fox News without being questioned or verified, despite what the plaintiffs describe as a lack of evidence. Finlayson and Kanter are seeking damages for alleged harm to their businesses and reputations, but the complaint does not specify a dollar amount.

O’Leary received a demand for a retraction and shared a statement to Instagram last month.

“Recently I appeared on various news programs and would like to clarify that I have no evidence that Alliance for a Better Utah, Elevate Strategies, Gabrielle Finlayson, Taylor Knuth or Josh Kanter are funded by China or the Chinese Communist Party,” he wrote on June 25.

Fox News also issued a statement of their own.

“Fox News Media publicly corrected the record on every program where on-air guest Kevin O’Leary’s comments were made, all of which was extensively publicized,” spokeswoman Irena Briganti told the NYT. “We will vigorously defend against this lawsuit.”

The dispute stems from O’Leary’s plans to build what has been described as a massive AI data center in rural Utah. The proposal has drawn criticism from some local residents and advocacy groups over concerns, including its potential environmental impact and resource use.