Judge presides over defamation proceedings against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems Domination This week, Cable Channel’s parent company Fox Corporation can be included in the proceedings, expanding the potential for legal exposure to the highest ranks of the Fox Media Empire.
Dominion argued that Fox Corporation should also be part of the proceedings. That’s because the two top executives, Rupert and Lucklan Murdoch, “played a direct role in participating, approving, and managing” the statement that led to the misunderstanding of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. .. selection.
Judge Eric M. Davis of the Delaware Superior Court said in his judgment that Dominion “sufficiently” supports the fact that Fox Corporation is “directly responsible” for what Fox News aired. Insisted on. ” He reasoned that the Murdochs are widely known to be involved in shaping Fox News coverage. Judge Davis also said it was reasonable to infer that Fox Corporation “participated in the preparation and publication of the Fox News defamation statement.”
Dominion’s proceedings against Fox News in March 2021 seek damages of at least $ 1.6 billion.
“The truth is important,” Dominion’s lawyer wrote in his first complaint. “Lies bring consequences. Fox sold false stories of fraudulent elections to serve his commercial purposes, seriously injuring Dominion in the process. This incident reached the level of defamation by broadcasters. If it doesn’t go up, nothing happens. “
Fox News and its parent company denied that the statement in question was defensive in the first place, arguing that what was said on Fox’s broadcast about Dominion was a partially protected statement of opinion. It contained various unfounded claims from Fox News hosts and guests that Dominion was somehow involved in a plot to steal votes from former President Donald J. Trump.
Separately, Judge Davis denied Dominion’s allegations to extend the proceedings to Fox Broadcasting, the Fox-branded television and entertainment division home to programs such as “Master Chef” and “The Simpsons.”
Fox News moved to dismiss the Dominion proceedings at the end of last year, but the motion was dismissed.
The proceedings are in the discovery stage, a process in which Dominion lawyers are scrutinizing internal Fox communications for evidence. Dominion lawyers need to prove that the people on the network acted “actually malice.” This means that you either knew that your allegations against Dominion were false, or recklessly ignored what seemed to be false.
