Chobani has filed a lawsuit against right-wing radio host Alex Jones and his website, Infowars.com, after a video was published earlier in April that strongly alluded to a link between the yogurt maker’s practice of hiring refugees with a local Idaho sexual assault case.
While the video report by Infowars reports David Knight and Lee Ann Mcadoo is somewhat vague in linking the sexual assault case with Chobani’s hiring practices, the headline on the Infowars video “MSM [mainstream media] Covers For Globalist’s Refugee Import Program After Child Rape Case” and the piece by Infowars reporters David Knight and Lee Ann McAdoo strongly hints at links between Chobani’s work force and the local sexual assault case. Jones also tweeted the story to his 610,000 Twitter followers on April 11, the date it was published.
Chobani says the sexual assault case is in no way linked to the company’s work force.
Jones and Infowars published “false statements, including the false accusations that Chobani was ‘caught importing migrant rapists’ and that Chobani’s plant has brought ‘crime and tuberculosis’ to the Twin Falls community,” said Chobani in the company’s lawsuit, which was filed in a district court in Idaho. “Defendants’ defamatory statements were subsequently republished with great velocity on a wide range of websites.”
The rape of a 5 yr old special needs girl by 2 refugee teenagers in Twin Falls, ID was mocked as #falsenews – https://t.co/q30wPYFdvU#usa
— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) April 11, 2017
Chobani claims that the video published by Infowars and promoted by Jones was designed to discourage consumers from purchasing Chobani’s products, harm the Greek yogurt purveyor’s reputation, and also adversely affect its business interests.
In fact, Chobani—which is the largest yogurt brand in the U.S.—says calls for a boycott did begin to swirl in the wake of the video’s publication. A hashtag, #boycottChobani, appeared on Twitter following the video.
“The Defendants’ defamatory statements have caused and continue to cause harm to Idaho residents, including Chobani employees, their families, and other members of the Twin Falls community associated with Chobani,” the company said.
Representatives at Infowars were unable to immediately respond to the litigation.