Global Courant 2023-04-19 14:27:02
Main image: Forbes
Dominion, a voice technology company, filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News, which was settled for $787.5 million. Dominion alleged that Fox had knowingly broadcast false claims linking its voting machines to a conspiracy to undermine the 2020 U.S. election. The settlement was reached just before the trial was due to begin, avoiding a high-profile trial that could have damaged the conservative news channel’s reputation. The settlement is considered one of the largest ever reached in a libel case.
The trial would have been important because it would have tested the limits of free speech for the media in America when it comes to broadcasting misinformation. Many analysts predicted that the Fox News trial would become one of the most important libel hearings in American legal history. It’s worth noting that the agreement doesn’t require Fox hosts to apologize on-air or admit to spreading lies.
In March 2021, Dominion filed a $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News alleging that the network promoted Donald Trump’s baseless claim that Dominion’s machines were used to rig the presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden . Dominion claimed that Fox broadcast the lies despite knowing they were false. The network denied the allegations, claiming it only reported on Trump’s claims and did not support them. Fox News also claimed it was protected by the freedom of speech enshrined in the First Amendment to the US Constitution, making it difficult for plaintiffs to win defamation suits in the United States.
Despite Fox’s arguments, Judge Eric Davis ruled in pre-trial hearings that there was no doubt that Fox had broadcast false information about Dominion. The deal means star anchors like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity avoid testifying in court. In a statement, Fox News said it was “happy” to resolve the dispute and acknowledged the court’s ruling that certain claims about Dominion were false.
Dominion CEO John Poulos told reporters out of court that Fox had “admitted to telling lies about Dominion that have caused tremendous damage to my company, our employees and our customers.” “Nothing can ever compensate for that.” The trial, called “the libel trial of the century” by the New York Times, is said to have been important to both the media and the US justice system. However, the settlement means the lawsuit will not proceed and Fox News will not have to defend itself against Dominion’s allegations.
