Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary is facing a defamation lawsuit after he accused opponents of his Utah AI data center project of having ties to China. The suit was filed in federal court by Alliance for a Better Utah, Elevate Strategies, and individuals Gabrielle Finlayson and Josh Kanter.
The plaintiffs claim O’Leary’s accusations were false and caused serious damage to their reputations and finances. According to the complaint, they suffered economic losses, emotional distress, and online harassment following his repeated on-air statements about the matter.
O’Leary made the allegations during Fox News appearances, suggesting that some critics were acting as “proxies for the Chinese government.” The lawsuit notes that Fox News aired his comments multiple times over several weeks without adequately qualifying them.
The dispute centers on O’Leary’s Stratos project in Utah, which has faced opposition from local activists and community groups. Those critics have denied any connection to China. O’Leary later posted that he had no evidence the groups or individuals were funded by China or the Chinese Communist Party.
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