In a major development in the Dominion lawsuit, Fox News has settled the defamation lawsuit for $787.5 million just as the trial was set to begin (msnbc.com). The election tech company Dominion Voting Systems had accused Fox News of promoting false conspiracy theories surrounding the integrity of the voting machines during the 2020 U.S. presidential election (abcnews.com).
Reports suggest that the settlement was a significant one, with Fox Corp. and its cable networks agreeing to pay $787.5 million (cnbc.com). This settlement comes as a significant hit to Fox News, which had been facing a defamation suit worth $1.6 billion (pbs.org).
According to NPR, this settlement deal has helped Fox News avert a potentially significant financial and reputational risk, given the high-profile nature of the case. Furthermore, the settlement has come as a surprise as Fox News had earlier vowed to fight the lawsuit and had claimed that their coverage was in keeping with the First Amendment (abcnews.com).
As per The Independent, the lawyers representing Dominion Voting Systems have hailed this settlement as accountability for Fox News. In an official statement, the Dominion attorney noted that “Money is accountability, and we got that today from Fox”(independent.co.uk).
It remains to be seen how this settlement will impact the future of the Dominion lawsuit and its ongoing legal battle with other organizations and individuals (cnn.com). Nonetheless, this high-profile settlement marks a significant victory for Dominion Voting Systems and has sent shockwaves across the media industry.
