Fox News Defamation Case Will Go To Trial

A Delaware judge ruled Friday that a jury should decide the fate of a defamation case against Fox News for airing unsupported claims that a voting-machine company was involved in election fraud during the 2020 presidential election. 

The Wall Street Journal reports Superior Court Judge Eric Davis rejected Fox News’s arguments that it should be declared the victor before trial because its conduct was protected by the First Amendment. The judge said the plaintiff, Dominion Voting Systems, had established that the network in fact aired false statements that the company helped rig the election for Joe Biden.  

Trial Scheduled for April 17

“The evidence developed in this civil proceeding demonstrates that [it] is CRYSTAL clear that none of the statements relating to Dominion about the 2020 election are true,” Judge Davis wrote.

The judge said Dominion would need to prove to a jury that Fox News knew it was airing false statements or acted with reckless disregard for the truth, and that the company suffered damages as a result.

Dominion’s lawsuit, which seeks $1.6 billion in damages, centers around broadcasts aired on Fox News and Fox Business in which associates of former President Donald Trump falsely alleged that Dominion was involved in a scheme to steal the election. Dominion argues that Fox had a financial incentive to air the claims, in a bid to retain viewers, an allegation that Fox denies.