SHANNON LONGWORTH: FOX NEWS HAS SETTLED DOMINION VOTING SYSTEMS’ DEFAMATION LAWSUIT FOR $787.5 MILLION AFTER AIRING LIES ABOUT THE COMPANY. IT’S ONE OF THE LARGEST SETTLEMENTS FOR A DEFAMATION CASE EVER IN THE U.S. AND WITH IT COMES THE TAKEAWAY THAT THE CABLE NEWS OUTLET AIRED LIES ABOUT THE 2020 ELECTION.
BUT THE LEGAL BATTLES ARE FAR FROM OVER.
WHEN IT COMES TO FOX NEWS:
-SMARTMATIC HAS ALSO SUED THE NETWORK FOR DEFAMATION FOR $2.7 BILLION…
-AND ITS FORMER PRODUCER, ABBY GROSSBERG, HAS FILED TWO LAWSUITS, ALLEGING THAT NETWORK ATTORNEYS PUSHED HER TO GIVE A MISLEADING DEPOSITION AND THAT THE WORK ENVIRONMENT WAS HOSTILE AND DISCRIMINATORY.
-ADDITIONALLY, FOX CORPORATION CEO, LACHLAN MURDOCH, IS SUING AN AUSTRALIAN OUTLET CALLED CRIKEY NEWS FOR LIBEL.
DOMINION ISN’T FINISHED, EITHER. IT’S SUING SEVERAL OTHER CONSERVATIVE MEDIA OUTLETS AND PEOPLE FOR KNOWINGLY SPREADING FALSE INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY. THAT INCLUDES:
-NEWSMAX
-ONE AMERICA NEWS NETWORK (OANN)
-FORMER TRUMP LAWYER SIDNEY POWELL
-TRUMP ATTORNEY RUDY GIULIANI
-MYPILLOW CEO MIKE LINDELL
AND
-FORMER OVERSTOCK CEO PATRICK BYRNE
IN THE FOX/DOMINION SETTLEMENT, THE PAYOUT’S NEARLY HALF OF WHAT DOMINION HAD SOUGHT WITH A TRIAL, WHICH HAD ONLY JUST STARTED ON TUESDAY. THE DELAWARE COURTROOM WAS FULL–WITH A JURY AND ALL–WHEN THE JUDGE ANNOUNCED THE TWO COMPANIES HAD SETTLED.
IN DOING SO, THE NETWORK AVOIDED POTENTIALLY PUTTING SOME OF ITS BIGGEST NAMES ON THE STAND–INCLUDING RUPERT MURDOCH, TUCKER CARLSON, MARIA BARTIROMO.
IT ALSO PREVENTED ANY MORE DAMAGING INFORMATION FROM COMING TO LIGHT.
IN A STATEMENT, FOX SAID “WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE COURT’S RULINGS FINDING CERTAIN CLAIMS ABOUT DOMINION TO BE FALSE. THIS SETTLEMENT REFLECTS FOX’S CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO THE HIGHEST JOURNALISTIC STANDARDS.”
DOMINION’S REPRESENTATION HAD THIS TO SAY:
JUSTIN NELSON: THE TRUTH MATTERS. LIES HAVE CONSEQUENCES. OVER TWO YEARS AGO, A TORRENT OF LIES SWEPT DOMINION AND ELECTION OFFICIALS ACROSS AMERICA INTO AN ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES CAUSING GRIEVOUS HARM TO DOMINION AND THE COUNTRY.”
LONGWORTH: WE, AT STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, WILL CONTINUE TO UPDATE YOU ON THESE CASES AS THEY DEVELOP. A NUMBER OF THEM, EXPECTED TO MOVE FORWARD IN 2024.