Starting Monday in a courtroom in Delaware, Fox News executives and stars will have to answer for their role in spreading doubt about the 2020 presidential election and creating the gaping wound that remains in America's democracy.
The Associated PressA woman gestures during the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors election canvas meeting on Nov. 28, 2022, in Phoenix, Ariz. Dominion Voting Systems has been ensnared in a web of conspiracy theories that have undermined confidence in U.S. elections among conservative voters.
Fox News stars Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, along with founder Rupert Murdoch, are among the people expected to testify over the next few weeks."This is Christmas Eve for defamation scholars," said RonNell Andersen Jones, a University of Utah law professor. Fox witnesses will likely testify that they thought the allegations against Dominion were newsworthy, but Davis made it clear that's not a defence against defamation — and he will make sure the jury knows that.
Fox angered Davis this past week when the judge said the network's lawyers delayed producing evidence and were not forthcoming in revealing Murdoch's role at Fox News.It's not clear whether that will affect the trial. But it's generally not wise to have a judge wonder at the outset of a trial whether your side is telling the truth, particularly when truth is the central point of the case, said the University of Utah's Jones.
"Credibility is always important in any trial in any case. But it's going to be really important in this case," said Jane Kirtley, director of the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and the Law at the University of Minnesota. Many experts are surprised Fox and Dominion have not reached an out-of-court settlement, though they can at any time. There's presumably a wide financial gulf. In court papers, Fox contends the $1.6-billion damages claim is a wild overestimate.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
With vehicle thefts spiking, authorities in Montreal try to crack down on shipments overseas | CBC NewsInvestigators with the Canada Border Services Agency and Montreal seized dozens of SUVs and trucks at the port earlier this week, as part of a concerted effort to crack down on a rise in stolen vehicles.
Read more »
New mission to icy moons of Jupiter blasts off | CBC NewsA European spacecraft rocketed away Friday on a decade-long quest to explore Jupiter and three of its icy moons that could have buried oceans.
Read more »
Housing market shows signs of stabilizing as sales and prices inch higher in March | CBC NewsThe number of homes being sold and the prices they're selling for are still dramatically lower than they were a year ago, but Canada's housing market is showing signs of rebound this spring with prices and sales volumes inching higher in March compared to February.
Read more »
U.S. military intelligence leak suspect charged, remains in custody | CBC NewsA 21-year-old member of the U.S. Air Force National Guard accused of leaking highly classified military intelligence records online made his initial appearance before a federal judge in Boston on Friday to face charges he unlawfully removed and retained classified materials.
Read more »
Olymel to close Quebec pork plant, nearly 1,000 people to lose their jobs | CBC NewsOlymel says it has been losing money and struggled with the pandemic, the labour shortage, rising costs related to inflation and the closure of the Chinese market.
Read more »
U.S. Supreme Court order temporarily keeps federal rules for abortion pill in place | CBC NewsThe Supreme Court said Friday it was temporarily keeping in place federal rules for use of an abortion drug, while it takes time to more fully consider the issues raised in a court challenge.
Read more »