Dominion Touts $787.5 Million Settlement as ‘Vindication and Accountability’
Photo by Aidan McLaughlin for Mediaite.
Attorneys and executives for Dominion Voting Systems touted the settlement of the company’s defamation lawsuit against Fox News as evidence of “vindication and accountability” regarding the cable network’s false claims about fraud in the 2020 election, and announced the whopping settlement figure.
The $1.6 billion complaint filed by Dominion accused Fox of airing false claims on the Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network about Dominion’s voting machines related to former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Pre-trial discovery in the litigation revealed a trove of documents in which Fox’s on-air personalities and top executives exchanged emails and text messages acknowledging Trump had lost the 2020 election, that his claims the election was stolen from him via fraud were unfounded, and lamenting the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. An additional trove of documents with previously redacted comments was released last month.
On March 31, Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric M. Davis issued a summary judgment ruling that was broadly viewed as devastating to Fox, finding that all twenty of the “Statements” made on air (on either FNC or FBN) about Dominion were statements of fact and not protected opinion and it was “CRYSTAL clear” (emphasis in original) that they were all false and constituted defamation per se. The judge also rejected several legal defenses Fox wished to assert as well as the media giant’s efforts to limit damages, finding it a matter for the jury, and at another pretrial hearing, ruled that several key Fox executives, including Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch, and Paul Ryan would have to testify live in person at the trial.
America’s press corps will miss out on the spectacle of Rupert Murdoch getting grilled on the witness stand, but the terms of the parties’ settlement apparently included both an acknowledgement by Fox that it had aired “false” claims and disclosure of the settlement figure.
Dominion’s press conference occurred outside the courtroom shortly after Judge Davis announced the parties had settled the case, following an hours-long delay after the jury was selected.
Justin Nelson introduced himself as the “proud counsel for Dominion Voting Systems” and said, “The truth matters. Lies have consequences. Over two years ago, a torrent of lies swept Dominion and election officials across America into an alternative universe of conspiracy theories, causing grievous harm to Dominion and the country.”
“Today’s settlement of $787.5 million represents vindication and accountability,” he announced the figure, slightly less than one-half of the $1.6 billion in damages Dominion had sought in its complaint.
“Today represents a ringing endorsement, for truth, and for democracy,” said Nelson, before introducing Dominion CEO John Poulos.
“Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion,” said Poulos, “that caused enormous damage to my company, our employees, and the customers that we serve. Nothing can ever make up for that.”
“Throughout this process, we have sought accountability and believe the evidence brought to light through this case underscores the consequences of spreading lies,” he added. “Truthful reporting in the media is essential to our democracy.”
He expressed his gratitude, and the gratitude of his employers and customers, to the court for “allowing this process for the truth to come out,” and thanked election officials, because “without them,” and their tireless work, “there is no democracy.”
A spokesperson for Fox sent the following statement to Mediaite:
We are pleased to have reached a settlement of our dispute with Dominion Voting Systems. We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false. This settlement reflects FOX’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards. We are hopeful that our decision to resolve this dispute with Dominion amicably, instead of the acrimony of a divisive trial, allows the country to move forward from these issues.
This is a breaking news story and has been updated.
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