More legal battles await Dominion, Fox News following $787.5M settlement

Apr 19, 2023

Shannon Longworth Reporter

By Shannon Longworth (Reporter), Ben Burke (Producer)

Fox News has agreed to pay $787.5 million to settle Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit. The settlement, announced on Tuesday, April 18, is one of the largest ever in a defamation case in the U.S.

The legal battles surrounding Fox News are far from over. Smartmatic, another electronic voting system company, is currently suing the network for $2.7 billion for defamation. Former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg has also filed two lawsuits, claiming that network attorneys pressured her to give a misleading deposition and that the work environment was hostile and discriminatory. In addition, Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch is suing Australian outlet Crikey News for libel.

Dominion Voting Systems is also pursuing legal action against several conservative media outlets and individuals for spreading false information about the company, including Newsmax, One America News Network (OANN), former Trump attorneys Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne.

The payout in the case between Fox and Dominion is almost half of what Dominion had sought with a trial. The trial had already begun in Delaware on Tuesday when the judge announced the settlement.

With the settlement, Fox News was able to avoid having some of its most prominent figures, including Rupert Murdoch, Tucker Carlson, and Maria Bartiromo, testify in the case. The settlement also prevented further damaging information from coming to light.

In a statement, Fox News 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.”

“The truth matters,” Dominion’s counsel, Justin Nelson, said. “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.”

Straight Arrow News will continue to provide updates on these ongoing legal cases, with many expected to move forward in 2024.

Tags: 2020 elections, Dominion Voting Systems, Fox News

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.