Home » US business news » Fox News faces another defamation headache after Dominion payout

Fox News faces another defamation headache after Dominion payout

By Nithya Bose in US business news, posted April 20, 2023

Fox News has become entangled in another defamation lawsuit over the 2020 presidential election soon after the $787.5 million settlement with Dominion.

The media giant is now being sued by another voting technology company, Smartmatic, for airing false claims that decimated its business.

In a February 2021 suit filed in New York State Supreme Court, Smartmatic argues that Fox News willfully made “over 100 false statements and implications.”

It accuses Fox of promoting misinformation by former President Donald Trump and his supporters that Smartmatic played a part in his election defeat.

In February, a New York appeals court found that the case could go forward.

Smartmatic attorney J. Erik Connolly released a statement following the Fox and Dominion deal.

Connolly said: “Dominion’s litigation exposed some of the misconduct and damage caused by Fox’s disinformation campaign. Smartmatic will expose the rest.

“Smartmatic remains committed to clearing its name, recouping the significant damage done to the company, and holding Fox accountable for undermining democracy.”

A Fox spokeswoman responded: “We will be ready to defend this case surrounding extremely newsworthy events when it goes to trial, likely in 2025.

“As a report prepared by our financial expert shows, Smartmatic’s damages claims are implausible, disconnected from reality, and on its face intended to chill First Amendment freedoms.”

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Former Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell were also named in the case, as were Fox's on-air hosts Maria Bartiromo, Lou Dobbs, and Jeanine Pirro.

A judge ruled last year that the case could proceed, but Powell was dropped from the suit since she is a Texas resident and the New York court doesn't have jurisdiction over her.

The Smartmatic case has lagged behind Dominion's complaint and is currently in discovery, with a long way to go before a possible trial.

Source: The Washington Post

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