Fox News Settles Defamation Lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 Million

Last minute settlement to avoid 6 week trial

HEADLINE STORY

April 18, 2023

Fox News has agreed to pay $787.5 million to Dominion Voting Systems to settle a defamation lawsuit over the network's false claims about the company's role in the 2020 election.

The settlement, which was announced on Tuesday, is the largest ever defamation payout by a media company. It comes after Dominion sued Fox News in 2021, alleging that the network had defamed the company by repeatedly broadcasting false claims that its voting machines were rigged and had stolen the election for Joe Biden.

In a statement, Dominion said that the settlement "vindicates our position that the false and defamatory statements made by Fox News and its on-air talent caused irreparable harm to Dominion."

Julio Cortez - Associated Press

“Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion that caused enormous damage to my company, our employees, and the customers that we serve,” Dominion CEO John Poulos said Tuesday outside court.

The settlement also comes as Fox News faces increased scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers over its role in spreading misinformation about the 2020 election. In December, the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol subpoenaed Fox News for documents related to its coverage of the election.

The settlement is a major victory for Dominion, which has been fighting to clear its name after being falsely accused of rigging the election. It is also a setback for Fox News, which has been criticized for its role in spreading misinformation about the election.

Fox News isn’t out of the clear yet. The network is facing a second major defamation lawsuit from Smartmatic¹, another voting technology company that was similarly smeared on Fox News’ shows after the 2020 election. The case involving Smartmatic is still in the early phase of discovery. There isn’t a trial date set for them at this current time.

For Dominion, there are several other pending lawsuits against right-wing TV networks Newsmax and OAN, as well as against Trump allies Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and Mike Lindell.

Atlanta Prosecutor Seeks Removal in Trump Case

The court filing principally sought to disqualify attorney Kimberly Debrow, who represents 10 of the fake electors, from the case because of a twisted new conflict of interest that arose last week, when some of her clients implicated another of her clients in an additional crime.

In seeking Debrow’s disqualification, prosecutors pointed to the Georgia state supreme court’s decision in 2013 to disqualify a lawyer representing a defendant and the defendant’s sister-in-law, after the sister-in-law ended up testifying against the initial client.

The court filing also asked to have Debrow removed from the case after she and her co-counsel at the time, Holly Pierson, appeared to have ignored a July 2022 order from the judge overseeing the investigation to make clear to the fake electors that they could take immunity deals.² Full Story