Yogurt giant Chobani sues Alex Jones for targeting them in his Islamophobic conspiracy theories

The Greek yogurt company Chobani is suing conspiracy peddler and Infowars host Alex Jones for spreading false information about the company after Jones claimed they were involved in importing migrant rapists to Twin Falls, Idaho.

According to the Idaho Statesman, the lawsuit was filed in a Twin Falls court this Monday, the same city where the company operates the largest yogurt plant in the world.

The lawsuit said Jones, his network, and InfoWars’ Twitter feed and YouTube channel repeatedly published false information linking Chobani, owner Hamdi Ulukaya and Twin Falls to a sexual assault case involving refugee children at a Twin Falls apartment complex.

Ulukaya, a Turkish immigrant, has drawn threats for advocating for immigrants and refugees. The company employs more than 300 refugees at its plants in Twin Falls and upstate New York.

In June of last year, Twin Falls made headlines when three refugee boys allegedly sexually assaulted a 5-year old girl at an apartment complex in the city. Naturally, right-wing websites started pushing conspiracy theories regarding the story.

Right-wing websites, including Breitbart News, fanned flames of several conspiracies, including that a group of Syrian men had attacked the girl, that a rape had occurred, that a knife was present and that city officials attempted to cover up the crime…

The conspiracies were roundly debunked by police and prosecutors, but that didn’t stop Jones from regurgitating the conspiracy theories in his program Infowars. Repeated requests from Chobani asking Jones to remove the misleading content went ignored.

“The defendants’ conduct in this matter was extreme, outrageous and warrants punitive damages,” the lawsuit said. Chobani is seeking at least $10,000 in damages, attorney fees and punitive damages.

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Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.