The settlement was announced by Fox, Dominion and the judge in the case at the 11th hour. Read more at straitstimes.com.
WILMINGTON - Fox Corp and Fox News on Tuesday settled a defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems for US$787.5 million , averting a high-profile trial putting one of the world’s top media companies in the crosshairs over its coverage ofThe settlement was announced by Fox, Dominion and the judge in the case at the 11th hour, with a 12-person jury selected on Tuesday morning and the case poised to kick off with opening statements on Tuesday afternoon. Dominion had sought US$1.
Shares of Fox Corp closed up slightly at US$34 per share, but were down 1 per cent in after-hours trading after the settlement amount was disclosed. The deal spared Fox the peril of having some of its best-known figures called to the witness stand and subjected to potentially withering questioning, including executives such as Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old media mogul who serves as Fox Corp chairman, and Fox CEO Suzanne Scott as well as on-air hosts including Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro.
Dominion said Fox amplified the untrue claims to boost its ratings and prevent its viewers from migrating to other media competitors on the right including One America News Network, which Dominion is suing separately.Rupert Murdoch testifies that Fox commentators endorsed Trump’s 2020 election lieAdding to the legal risks for Fox, another US voting technology company, Smartmatic, is pursuing its own defamation lawsuit seeking US$2.7 billion in damages in a New York state court.
Dominion in 2021 sued Fox Corp and Fox News, contending that its business was ruined by the false vote-rigging claims that were aired by the influential American cable news outlet known for its roster of conservative commentators.