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.