A judge presiding in a defamation lawsuit against Fox News ruled this week that the cable channel's parent company, Fox Corporation, can be included in the suit, broadening the possible legal exposure to the highest ranks of the Fox media empire.
The Murdochs played a direct role in approving and controlling statements that fed false perceptions of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
In a decision, Judge Eric M. Davis of Delaware Superior Court said that the facts of the case were sufficient to support the claim that Fox was responsible for what it aired. He thought that the Murdochs were involved in shaping Fox News coverage. It was reasonable to infer that Fox Corporation had been involved in the creation and publication of Fox News's defamatory statements.
The lawsuit was filed against Fox News in Delaware, where both companies are incorporated.
Lawyers for the company wrote that the truth mattered. There are consequences to lying. Fox sold a false story of election fraud in order to serve its own purposes. Nothing will happen if this case does not rise to the level of defamation by a television station.
Fox News and its parent company argued that the statements in question were protected expressions of opinion and not defamation. Fox News hosts and guests made allegations that the company was involved in a conspiracy to steal votes from the former president.
Fox Broadcasting, the television and entertainment division of the Fox brand, is home to shows like "MasterChef" and "The Simpsons." Judge Davis denied a claim from Dominion to extend its suit to Fox Broadcasting.
Fox News tried to dismiss the suit, but it wasn't successful.
The discovery phase of the lawsuit is when lawyers comb through internal Fox communications in order to find evidence. To prove that people at the network acted with malice, they will need to show that the allegations against the company were false.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
