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The trial had several delays that ended with an “amicable” agreement between the parties before beginning with the opening arguments. Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems has accused the powerful Fox network of issuing false accusations of voter fraud that still rock US politics and which the company claimed hurt its business.
Fox Corp and Fox News said they were pleased to reach an “amicable” settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit brought by the company, whose machines count votes in US elections.
“We acknowledge the court rulings declaring certain claims about Dominion false. This settlement reflects Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards,” Fox Corp reacted.
Fox will pay $787.5 million to settle the election lawsuit, according to Dominion.
The jury was going to determine if one of the largest media companies in the world defamed the Dominion company by airing accusations of alleged electoral fraud in the elections that current President Joe Biden won against Republican Donald Trump.
The trial would shed light on what happened on Fox News in the weeks after the 2020 elections. This would have put the misinformation that spread after the elections at the center of the debate.
According to Dominion, Fox stars such as Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro allowed various lawyers on their shows to claim that the company used algorithms to allegedly transfer Trump’s votes to the current president.
“Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion that caused enormous harm to my company, our employees and our customers,” Dominion CEO John Poulos said.
“Nothing can make up for it. Throughout this process, we have sought accountability and believe that the evidence brought to light through this case underscores the consequences of spreading and endorsing lies,” he added.
Dominion had said that the disinformation broadcasts on the television network caused the company “enormous and irreparable economic damage.”
Eric Davis, the Delaware Superior Court judge presiding over the case in Wilmington, ordered the trial adjourned Monday and rescheduled for Tuesday while the two sides secretly negotiated the settlement.
With the deal, Fox prevented his best-known figures from being subjected to questioning. It had been hinted that Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old media mogul who chairs Fox Corp, as well as Fox CEO Suzanne Scott, should have gone to the stands.
The fraud was never proven
Dominion had proof with a series of internal communications in which Murdoch and other Fox figures privately admitted that the company’s alleged vote-rigging was false.
According to Dominion, Fox continued with the misinformation so as not to lose audience. In the United States, it is difficult to prove that a medium intentionally or culpably lied, but internal communications between directors and Fox presenters were, according to the company, irrefutable proof. Several First Amendment experts told Reuters that Dominion’s case was one of the strongest they had seen.
The allegations prompted state and federal election officials to run weeks-long checks on battleground states, but found no fraud or vote rigging.
One of the strongest precedents in lawsuits against the media was when in 1964, the US Supreme Court limited the ability of public figures to sue for defamation. The Court ruled that the plaintiffs had to show that the media broadcast false material with “actual malice” or knowledge of public defamation.
This became a solid shield for the media and journalists. But the legal norm has been in the crosshairs of some politicians like Donald Trump and Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida for years.
With AP and Reuters
