Fox News has agreed to settle the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed against the network over its broadcast of lies aimed at undercutting public confidence in the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
The network and Dominion Voting Systems agreed to a $787.5 million settlement Tuesday, according to Dominion attorney Justin Nelson, just as attorneys were set to outline their case to jurors ahead of trial testimony in what has been the most closely watched media trial in decades.
“The truth matters,” Nelson said. “Lies have consequences.”
Details of the settlement were not immediately available. Dominion sued Fox News and its parent corporation in 2021, claiming the network knowingly broadcast lies being perpetuated by former President Donald Trump and his attorneys as he clung to power in the months after his 2020 election loss.
The Denver-based voting technology company said the lies caused more than $1 billion in damage and led to its employees receiving threats.
Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Rupert Murdoch: Settlement came just before high-profile testimony
The settlement came hours before trial testimony expected to feature a parade of high-profile Fox News personalities and executives, including Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Rupert Murdoch and former House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Fox had denied all wrongdoing, saying this lawsuit is an attack on the First Amendment. The legal team also argued its hosts were covering an important news story. During pretrial hearings, the legal team had taken hits – including the judge sanctioning them and telling them they had a “credibility problem.”
Tucker Carlson said he hates Trump ‘passionately’:Takeaways from Dominion-Fox News lawsuit documents
Fox News statement about Dominion settlement
Fox lawyers did not answer reporters questions following the news of the settlement. The network, in a statement, said it acknowledges “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 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.”
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Trial could have had big implications
The outcome could have had major implications for misinformation and freedom of the press.
Leading up to the trial, some legal experts remarked how strong of a case Dominion had. It’s uncommon for defamation cases to make it to trial and even rarer for a plaintiff to prove actual malice.
Dominion would have needed to prove to a Delaware jury that Fox knowingly published false information about Dominion or recklessly disregarded information showing that the claims were not true.
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