Lachlan Murdoch sues Australian news site for defamation

FILE PHOTO: Lachlan Murdoch, co-chairman and chief executive officer of Fox Corp., attends the annual Allen and Co. Sun Valley media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, U.S., July 11, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

SYDNEY/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch has filed a defamation lawsuit against an Australian news site over an opinion piece he says accused him of being complicit in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in the Federal Court of Australia against the publisher of online masthead Crikey, its editor and the opinion piece's author. The June 29 article described the Murdochs as "unindicted co-conspirators" in the effort by Trump supporters to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden, according to the lawsuit.