Members of Rise and Resist participate in their weekly “Truth Tuesday” protest at News Corp headquarters on February 21, 2023 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Dominion Voting System’s defamation lawsuit against Fox Corp. and its cable TV networks will go to trial in the coming days, but it remains to be seen what, exactly, the lawsuit means for Fox and its business.
Dominion brought its lawsuit against Fox and its TV networks, Fox News and Fox Business, in March 2021, arguing their hosts pushed false claims that Dominion’s voting machines were rigged in the 2020 presidential election that saw Joe Biden triumph over Donald Trump. The trial begins on Monday.
IAC Chairman Barry Diller, who was chairman and CEO of parent-company Fox from 1984 to 1992, said at a media conference hosted by startup Semafor earlier this week that although he thought Fox should lose the case, handing Dominion “a very big reward,” that the company will just pay the damages and move on.
“What’s it going to do? Worsen [Fox Corp. Chair] Rupert Murdoch’s reputation?” Diller joked.
On its face, the biggest potential consequence for Fox would be a financial hit: The company will have to pay to defend itself against the claims and, if it loses, possible damages to Dominion, upwards of $1.6 billion. No matter the outcome, an appeal is likely.
Fox, which has denied the claims made by Dominion and said it is protected by the First Amendment, has opposed the amount of the damages that the voting machine maker is seeking. The Delaware judge overseeing the case — who ruled a trial was necessary — recently said it would be up to a jury to decide the matter.
Business risk
Neither side has shown signs of a wanting to settle the case, and the two parties have met once at a court-ordered meeting. But even if they did come to a settlement, Fox would still be on the hook for a steep payment, experts say.
“There could be a lot of implications depending on how it…
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