The defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News over post-election coverage appears to have hit a surprising roadblock. A day before the expected open arguments set for Monday, Delaware Superior Court announced it was delaying the trial until Tuesday, without giving a reason for the delay. The Wall Street Journal, which is owned by Fox Corporation Chairman Rupert Murdoch, reported that Fox News has made a late push to settle the dispute out of court, citing people familiar with the matter.
Dominion Voting Systems sued Fox News for defamation, seeking $1.6 billion in damages. The voting system company claims that Fox News defamed them by alleging that their voting systems rigged the 2020 presidential election against Donald Trump. Against repeated denials by Fox News, Dominion’s lawsuit against the right-wing media outlet poses a threat to the First Amendment, especially for Fox News. If the jury panel sides with Dominion, it could award a sum of money close to what Dominion is asking, one of the largest defamation defeats for any media company.
The evidence that emerged from the case has significantly hit Fox News’s reputation and credibility, confirming Fox as an organization willing to push lies to its audience, even when some of its highest-ranking executives and highest-profile hosts, such as Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, did not believe the conspiracy theories that were airing on their shows. Nevertheless, Fox News maintains that it is proud of its 2020 election coverage, and Dominion’s $1.6 billion figure is wildly inflated.
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