Seth Rich's brother sues over DNC "conspiracy theory" reports
Mary Rich, the mother of slain DNC staffer Seth Rich, gives a press conference. Photo: Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post via Getty Images
The brother of Seth Rich, the former DNC staffer who was murdered in 2016, is suing the Washington Times, Texas businessman Ed Butowsky, and internet activist Matt Couch — along with Couch's media company — for promoting conspiracy theories surrounding Rich's death, reports CNN. Aaron Rich is seeking damages for reputational harm and emotional distress after false reports claimed that his background as a defense contractor allowed him to help his brother obtain and transfer leaked DNC emails to WikiLeaks.
The backdrop: The filing comes on the heels of a separate lawsuit brought by Rich's parents against Fox News for claims of emotional distress surrounding a retracted 2017 story that exploited their son's murder "through lies, misrepresentations, and half-truths" with similar baseless claims that Rich's murder was connected to the DNC leak.