Dominion and Fox News reach $787.5 million settlement in defamation lawsuit

[Gefn]

WILMINGTON, Del. — Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems reached a $787.5 million settlement agreement Tuesday afternoon, the parties announced, narrowly heading off a trial shortly after the jury was sworn in.

“Fox has admitted to telling lies,” John Poulos, Dominion CEO, said in a press conference after the trial was ended.

"Money is accountability," said Stephen Shackelford, Jr., the attorney scheduled to give opening statements for Dominion on Tuesday.

Fox News also put out a statement.

https://www.nbcnews.com/media/fox-news-settles-dominion-defamation-lawsuit-rcna80285

[Gefn]

Fastest trial ever?

[Gefn]

Fox News Agrees To Pay $787M To Settle Dominion False-Election Claims Case

Updated with Fox News statement & settlement sum) Fox News has settled Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against the Rupert Murdoch-owned organization, averting a lengthy, expensive and certain to be embarrassing trial.

“The parties have resolved their case,” Delaware Superior Court judge, Eric M. Davis just told the court, offering no details. The settlement was made public right before Wall Street ceased trading for the day. Fox paid Dominion $787.5 million under the deal, Dominion lawyers said outside the courtroom. The attorneys did not indicate if any substantial retraction or apology from Fox was a part of the settlement.

https://deadline.com/2023/04/fox-news-settlement-rupert-murdoch-false-election-claims-trump-dominion-1235328011/

[libertybele]

Fox's statement; it sounds good, but who to trust these days?

“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,” the Fox statement said. “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.”

[mystery-ak]

Tapper Reading Fox News’ Statement on Journalistic Standards: ‘This Is Difficult To Say With a Straight Face’

Pam Key 18 Apr 2023

CNN anchor Jake Tapper laughed while reading Fox News’ statement about their $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems Tuesday on his show “The Lead.”

Tapper said, “Fox putting a positive face on what can only be interpreted as one of the ugliest and most embarrassing moments in the history of journalism. Fox issued a statement saying, ‘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’–I’m sorry. This is going to be difficult to say with a straight face. ‘This settlement reflects Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards.'”

After a laugh, Tapper continued, “‘We are hopeful that our’–sorry. ‘We are hopeful that our decision to resolve the dispute with Dominion amicably instead of the acrimony of a divisive trial allows the country to move forward from these issues.'”

Tapper added, “I can only assume that Fox is cutting this check because they feared that after a jury trial, not only would they have to pay more, but it would become even more obvious that they are not a journalistic organization. That their organization that is just chasing ratings and viewers, and it doesn’t really matter what they say, whether it’s true or not, that’s what their business model is.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2023/04/18/tapper-reading-fox-news-statement-on-journalistic-standards-this-is-difficult-to-say-with-a-straight-face/

[mystery-ak]

 Why Fox News had to settle the Dominion suit

The last-minute agreement makes clear just how sticky a situation Fox was headed for if the trial did occur.



By Ankush Khardori

04/18/2023 08:17 PM EDT

One of the year’s most hotly anticipated trials reached a stunning conclusion before it even began. Poised to face off in the courtroom this afternoon, with jury selection complete, Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News instead reached a settlement. The last-minute agreement makes clear just how sticky a situation Fox was headed for if the trial did occur.

Lawyers for Dominion announced that Fox News (and parent company Fox Corporation) had agreed to settle the case for $787.5 million — less than half of Dominion’s claim for $1.6 billion in damages but nevertheless a historic rebuke for the influential conservative media outlet.

The massive payout reflects the fact that Dominion had put together a strong case that Fox had acted with “actual malice,” a high bar under defamation law that has historically been difficult for plaintiffs suing media outlets to satisfy. Dominion’s considerable success in this case indicates that Fox acutely understood that there was a high risk that the jury would side with Dominion on this crucial legal point. The settlement also spares the network from weeks of embarrassing testimony that would have put the widespread internal dysfunction at Fox News on full public display.

more
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/18/why-fox-news-had-to-settle-the-dominion-suit-00092708

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Are there still folks out there who believe that the Dominion machines were hacked and tossed the election to Biden?  Because Fox just provided seven hundred eighty-seven million, five hundred thousand reasons why that isn't true.

[Kamaji]

Are there still folks out there who believe that the Dominion machines were hacked and tossed the election to Biden?  Because Fox just provided seven hundred eighty-seven million, five hundred thousand reasons why that isn't true.

Fox paid because they made claims without having the requisite evidence.

Absence of evidence is not, however, evidence of absence.

[bigheadfred]

Are there still folks out there who believe that the Dominion machines were hacked and tossed the election to Biden?  Because Fox just provided seven hundred eighty-seven million, five hundred thousand reasons why that isn't true.

I don't think they were hacked. They did what they were programmed to do.

[Bigun]

Are there still folks out there who believe that the Dominion machines were hacked and tossed the election to Biden?  Because Fox just provided seven hundred eighty-seven million, five hundred thousand reasons why that isn't true.

Texas Rejected Use of Dominion Voting System Software Due to Efficiency Issues

[Bigun]

I don't think they were hacked. They did what they were programmed to do.

  Exactly.

[BellyAche]

I think a trial would have been interesting as all the ugliness from both sides would have been in display and news folks from all stripes could have had at it to dig into truths and untruths. But I also think that the Fox News folk heads didn't want to drag their personnel through the mud. And it looks like their was lots of mud to sling! 

[cato potatoe]

Fox News had annual revenues of $4.2B, so it was the biggest fish.  Next up?  Rudy Giuliani, Mike Lindell, Sydney Powell, Newsmax, OAN ...