The widow of Pierre Zakrzewski, a Fox News cameraman who was killed while reporting in Ukraine in 2022, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the network. The case, brought by Michelle Ross-Staton, claims that Fox News failed to protect her husband and his team during a deadly mission near Kyiv.
Zakrzewski, aged 55, died when his news crew’s vehicle came under fire. Also killed in the attack was Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova, a 24-year-old Ukrainian journalist.
Legal Action in the UK
Ross-Staton filed the lawsuit in Britain earlier this month, as reported by The Washington Post. She is seeking over £9 million (about $11.6 million) in damages, citing wrongful death and breach of contract.
The lawsuit states that although Zakrzewski had experience reporting from war zones, Fox News failed to provide the necessary safety measures for him and his team. One major allegation is that the security consultant hired by Fox News chose not to accompany the crew into the field on the day they were attacked.
Claims of Unsafe Conditions
Ross-Staton further claims that the crew should have been using an armoured vehicle, especially in an active conflict zone where artillery fire from Russian forces was a known threat.
The lawsuit argues that Fox “failed to determine, or heed, that it was not reasonably safe” and that the crew was exposed to unnecessary risk.
The legal team claims that had better precautions been taken, the tragedy might have been avoided.
Fox News Responds
Fox News responded to the lawsuit in a statement shared with The Washington Post, saying:
“We remain devastated by the death of Pierre Zakrzewski. His extraordinary dedication to telling the stories of the war in Ukraine placed a critical spotlight on the atrocities there, and we are forever grateful for his commitment to journalism and his ultimate sacrifice.”
The network also stated it did everything humanly possible after the incident to manage the situation amid the chaos of war.