A defamation lawsuit filed by a U.S. citizen residing in Beirut against a Dubai-based media conglomerate has been dismissed due to lack of personal jurisdiction. The complaint was lodged by Achraf Safieddine in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County on February 5, 2021, targeting MBC FZ, LLC and its affiliates for broadcasting allegedly defamatory content.
Achraf Safieddine, a lawyer with ties to both Lebanon and California, accused MBC FZ, LLC, Al Arabiya Network FZ-LLC, and Middle East News FZ-LLC of airing a news story that falsely implicated him in money laundering activities for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The contentious broadcast aired on Al Arabiya's Arabic language channel and was available in the U.S. through DISH Network. Safieddine claimed that the report caused significant reputational and economic harm. However, the court ruled that there were insufficient minimum contacts with California to establish jurisdiction over the defendants.
Safieddine's complaint centered around a September 2020 article from "Global Fight Against Terrorism Funding," which alleged that Nasrallah was funneling money out of Lebanon with Safieddine’s assistance. This story was picked up by Al Arabiya and Al Hadath networks and republished on their websites and YouTube channels. The plaintiff argued that the defendants did not conduct any independent investigation into these claims before broadcasting them.
The trial court found that despite Safieddine’s connections to California—such as his family residing there and using a Los Angeles address for his legal practice—the primary focus of his professional life remained in Beirut. Additionally, evidence showed that Al Arabiya's broadcasts reached only about 12,000 DISH subscribers in California out of an estimated global viewership of 11 million.
In response to the motion to quash filed by the defendants on August 11, 2021, supported by declarations from their general counsel and general manager, the court concluded that Safieddine failed to prove sufficient jurisdictional ties between the defendants' activities and California. The court also denied Safieddine’s request for further jurisdictional discovery, ruling it unlikely to produce evidence supporting his claims.
Plaintiff sought damages for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress but faced challenges proving personal jurisdiction over foreign entities whose primary audience is outside the United States. The appellate court affirmed this decision on June 26, 2024.
Representing parties included Janet Gusdorff from Dudorff Law for Safieddine and Chad R. Bowman along with Matthew S.L. Cate from Ballard Spahr for MBC FZ, LLC et al., under Judge Monica Bachner.
Case ID: B320642.