Landmark Defamation Case Settled as Trial Was Set to Begin
In a dramatic turn of events, Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems reached a historic settlement on Tuesday, averting a high-stakes defamation trial just as opening statements were set to commence. The agreement, valued at $787.5 million, stands as the largest publicly known defamation settlement involving a media company in U.S. history. The resolution was announced by Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis, who stated, “The parties have resolved their case,” before dismissing the newly sworn-in jury.
The settlement concludes a colossal two-year legal battle that severely damaged the network’s credibility. It followed a prolonged delay in proceedings, where rumors of a settlement swirled after the court recessed for nearly three hours. Judge Davis credited the impaneled jury with providing the impetus for the parties to reach an accord. For context on how major corporate disputes can unfold, one might look at other industries; for instance, Netflix is winding down its DVD rental service after reshaping home entertainment, while in unrelated news, actor Jamie Foxx remains hospitalized following a medical complication. The Fox settlement means that influential executives and prominent hosts, including Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch, Sean Hannity, and Tucker Carlson, will not testify about the network’s 2020 election coverage.
Dominion’s lawyer, Justin Nelson, declared the settlement “represents vindication and accountability,” and “a ringing endorsement for truth and for democracy.” Fox News acknowledged the court’s rulings that certain claims about Dominion were false, referring to a prior finding by Judge Davis. Here are 20 Fox News broadcasts from late 2020 that the court identified as containing blatantly false assertions about Dominion rigging the election. Despite the acknowledgment, a Dominion representative confirmed Fox will not have to issue an on-air admission of spreading lies.
Internal communications revealed during discovery showed that key figures at Fox privately dismissed the voter fraud claims as “asinine” and “really crazy,” even as the network aired them. The $787.5 million payout is roughly half of Dominion’s initial $1.6 billion claim but represents a massive sum relative to the company’s value. In a different sphere of tragic news, a 13-year-old dies after a community tragedy, highlighting the profound consequences of misinformation. The settlement spares Fox from a trial that would have further exposed its internal contradictions, much as a routine see pizza delivery order contrasts with the extraordinary scale of this legal and financial reckoning for the media giant.