Dominion, a voting technology company, filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News, which was settled for $787.5 million. Dominion claimed that Fox knowingly broadcast false claims linking its voting machines to a conspiracy to undermine the 2020 US election. The settlement was reached just before the trial was scheduled to begin, avoiding a high-profile trial that could have harmed the conservative news channel’s reputation. The settlement is thought to be among the largest ever reached in a defamation case.
The trial would have been significant because it would have tested the limits of free speech rights for the media in America when it comes to broadcasting misinformation. Many analysts predicted that the Fox News trial would be one of the most important libel hearings in US legal history. It’s worth noting that the agreement doesn’t require Fox hosts to apologise 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 that it was only reporting on Trump’s claims and did not back them up. Fox News also claimed that it was protected by free speech rights enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States 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 broadcast false information about Dominion. The agreement means that star anchors like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity will avoid testifying in court. In a statement, Fox News said it was “pleased” to have resolved the dispute and acknowledged the court’s ruling that certain claims about Dominion were false.
Dominion CEO John Poulos told reporters outside the court that Fox had “admitted to telling lies about Dominion that caused enormous damage to my company, our employees, and our customers.” “Nothing can ever compensate for that.” The trial, dubbed “the defamation trial of the century” by the New York Times, would have been significant for both the media and the US legal system. However, the settlement means that the trial will not take place, and Fox News will not have to defend itself against Dominion’s allegations.