Russian tech exec sues Buzzfeed for defamation after the website published Trump dossier claiming his internet company was behind the DNC leadership hack

  • Aleksej Gubarev is suing Buzzfeed and editor Ben Smith for defamation 
  • His company was named in the unverified dossier for helping to hack the DNC
  • Gubarev said Buzzfeed never contacted him to verify the information
  • He said his wife has been harassed online and he fears for his children's safety 

By Kaileen Gaul For Dailymail.com

Published: 11:11 EST, 4 February 2017 | Updated: 11:24 EST, 4 February 2017

Aleksej Gubarev is suing Buzzfeed for defamation after they published the unverified dossier that mentions his name

A Russian tech executive is suing Buzzfeed and editor Ben Smith after they named him in the unverified Trump dossier that alleges his company helped hack the DNC.

Aleksej Gubarev is the CEO of XBT which hosts websites and also owns Webzilla. He also named former spy Christopher Steele and his company Orbis Business Intelligence in London as defendants in the lawsuit.

The suit claims Gubarev was falsely accused of hacking the Democratic National Committee. It does not specifically say what damages Gubarev is seeking, but it says it has hurt him personally and professionally.

Gubarev also told CNN Money his wife is harassed online because of the documents and he fears for his three children's safety. 

After Gubarev filed the defamation suit in Broward County, Florida, on Friday Buzzfeed redacted any mention of his name on the dossier on the website.

It says neither Smith or anyone from Buzzfeed reached out to Gubarev to verify if any of the information about him was true. 

A spokesperson for Buzzfeed told the station: 'We have redacted Mr Gubarev's name from the published dossier, and apologize for including it.' 

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Aleksej Gubarev is suing Buzzfeed and editor Ben Smith (left) for publishing his name in the dossier. The suit claims the documents caused him personal and professional damage

This does not change Gubarev's choice to move forward with the lawsuit. 

In a statement, Gubarev told McClatchy DC: 'The dossier included libelous, unverified and untrue allegations regarding XBT, Webzilla and Gubarev.'

'The lawsuits seek yet undetermined compensation for the damages suffered by XBT, Webzilla and Gubarev as the result of the publication of the dossier.' 

Buzzfeed was the only news organization to publish the 35 documents in full. He was named on the last page, 

In regards to Gubarev's company, the dossier states XBT: 'had been using botnets and porn traffic to transmit viruses, plant bugs, steal data and conduct ‘altering operations’ against the Democratic Party leadership.' 

Gubarev's lawsuit claims Buzzfeed never contacted him to verify what they published

President Trump branded the dossier compiled by former British secret agent Christopher Steele as 'fake news' and even accused CIA director John Brennan of leaking the document. 

In a press conference in January, Trump said: 'That information that was false and fake and never happened got released to the public.'

'As far as BuzzFeed, which is a failing pile of garbage, writing it, I think they're going to suffer the consequences.'

 Ben Smith has defended at length the website's editorial choice to publish the documents.

In an op ed for the New York Times, Smith writes: 'News organizations should instead consider this reality: Our audience inhabits a complex, polluted information environment; our role is to help them navigate it — not to pretend it doesn’t exist.' 

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