Fox News agrees to pay $787.5 million to Dominion for spreading election lies.

[Stuart G]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by JudyM (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Last edited Tue Apr 18, 2023, 10:38 PM - Edit history (2)

Source: CNN

The right-wing network acknowledges it aired false claims about the 2020 election. The lies resulted in the largest publicly known defamation settlement involving a US media company.


n a statement made Tuesday after Fox News settled the defamation case brought by Dominion Voting Systems, Fox said:

"We acknowledge the Court's rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false."

So, what did those rulings say?

This is about the topic of falsity. To win a defamation case, you need to prove a few things. Most importantly, you need to prove the statements were false and that they were made with actual malice, otherwise known as a reckless disregard for the truth.

In a major pretrial ruling on March 31, Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis ruled Dominion had successfully proven that all 20 statements mentioned in its lawsuit against Fox were false.

"Through its extensive proof, Dominion has met its burden of showing there is no genuine issue of material fact as to falsity... The evidence developed in this civil proceeding demonstrates that is CRYSTAL clear that none of the Statements relating to Dominion about the 2020 election are true," Davis wrote.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/

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Incredible & UNBELIEVABLE News: FOX ADMITS IT PUBLICLY LIED ABOUT THE OUTCOME OF THE 2022 CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION! ............................ ALSO, AS A RESULT OF THOSE LIES, FOX IS WILLING TO PAY 787 MILLION DOLLARS. (MORE AT LINK)

AND NO.....I DIDN'T MAKE THIS UP. HIT THE LINK ABOVE. THIS IS THE MAJOR NEWS NOW ACROSS THE COUNTRY!!!11

First article at this link:

https://www.cnn.com/

[Galraedia]

1. They should have gotten more than twice that.

[joshdawg]

2. Sure wish this case had gone to trial.

Oh, well. (heavy sigh)

[emulatorloo]

7. 2 or 3 years of trial, appeals etc. Makes sense that Dominion settled, they'll get their money ASAP

From what I read, sounds like they will still sue some individuals, like Guiliani.

[Rhiannon12866]

13. Sidney Powell was mentioned, too.

I think it was said that this was the first of six lawsuits. And then there's the Smartmatic (voting machine company) defamation lawsuit coming up, they're suing FOX "News" for over $2 billion, some of its hosts, and one attorney for TFG.

[Bengus81]

15. Dominion screwed this up and now they'll settle with all of them

Mike Pillow will pay them chump change to end it, I'd guess maybe a million $$$.

[onenote]

19. Exactly how did Dominion "screw this up."

I'm quite curious to hear the details underlying your assertion.

[Bengus81]

22. Real simple they let FOX buy them off

That trial was open and shut and Dominion held ALL the cards. Now...those RW Trump humping crazies that spend all their time on FOX will be claiming that Dominion had NOTHING and was just after quick cash instead of presenting facts.

If this was never about money--which I though Dominion claimed (it was all about damage to their rep) then they should have gone to the mat with those fuckers and let every FOX text,email every everything be played out in the Media day after day during the trial. It was a REAL chance to expose lying POS like Hannity,Tucker and Ingram but now it's all slipped away into a quick big buck payoff.

What FOX is already saying.............

[onenote]

23. Are you an experienced trial lawyer?

Because if you are, you're the first one I've ever met who believed any case tried before a jury was "open and shut" (or a "slam dunk" as some might say). I haven't seen one experienced trial lawyer claim that this was risk free litigation for Dominion.

The fact that this was about damage to Dominion's reputation doesn't mean it wasn't about money. Quite the opposite. The only way the courts rectify the damage to a company's reputation is through monetary damage awards.

The emails etc already have been exposed to the public. The trial wasn't going to be televised or filmed so it would have been a regurgitation of the information that already is out there. Moreover, in a trial, the Fox witnesses would have a platform to wrap themselves in the first amendment as 'journalists' and to claim the protection that is accorded to 'opinion.' They might not prevail, but the counter argument would get as much publicity as the damaging emails and Fox viewers, in particular, would only hear about the case from a Fox-friendly perspective.

There also is the fact that even if Dominion prevailed (as noted, not a sure thing), nothing would have stopped Fox from declaring to the world -- and in particular its viewers -- that the jury and the judge got it wrong, that the decision is an abomination and that they will appeal it all the way to the Supreme Court. Dominion would face the continued uncertainty of the outcome plus more legal expense.

Finally, while there is an aspect of your post that seems to imply Dominion's lawyers committed malpractice if they advised their client to settle, the reality is that they might well have been committing malpractice by NOT giving that advice. That's because of the element of Delaware law explained here:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217840697

[Bengus81]

24. No are you? But I'm sure just like Trump "they've learned their lesson"

They've already PROVEN they haven't IF you watch the Tapper video and read their ENTIRE response.

[onenote]

28. Jury trials haven't been the main part of my practice but I've done them

And I've worked closely for over 40 years at major law firms with litigation practices and I've never heard any of them suggest they were certain how a jury would rule before a case went to trial (or, in most instances, even after the jury began deliberations).

They weren't going to "learn their lesson" no matter what happened. They'll would (and will) be more careful about what they say in their texts and emails. They would continue to tell the world they were screwed by the judge and jury and that they will succeed on appeal.

[Ptah]

3. 2022 RRESIDENTIAL ELECTION???

[Ptah]

5. Your link doesn't work.

Uh-oh!
It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here.

https://www.cnn.com/business/live-news/fox-news-dominion-trial-04-18-23/index.htmlLink

[Stuart G]

11. Sorry Again to Everyone..It works now, Changed the link and the information..

[Ptah]

12. Link to story:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/18/media/fox-dominion-settlement/index.html

[Aussie105]

6. It's an admission of guilt.

Will this stop Murdoch and Fox?

Nope, not for a minute!

Next case please!

[The Grand Illuminist]

21. Settlements are not necessarily considered admissions of guilt.

Lawsuits is a game of chess. Time was on the defendants side on this one.

[FakeNoose]

8. You know what $787.5 million is? It's stupid-money

Rupert Murdoch gets stupid-money every day, week and month of his life. And he gets it from us! Everyone of us who pays a monthly subscription for cable TV to Verizon, or AT&T or Comcast, or whoever - we're all giving Rupert Murdoch his stupid-money and this is how he uses it.

We need to stop giving him our money, and then he won't be able to throw it around like this ever again. He'll have to figure out how to run a real business or else just retire and go somewhere live else.

I pay Verizon Fios about $150 per month and something like $4 or $5 of that goes to Fox News - even though I NEVER EVER watch any of their channels. Multiply that times the 100 million households in the US that are all doing the same thing, and that's where Rupert gets his stupid-money.

This has to END! It has already gone on for way too long.

[SKKY]

9. So, if I'm NewsMAX, OANN, Rudy, Sidney, and anyone else...

...I'm kinda shitting myself right now.

[intheflow]

14. Million, with an M? Should have been a billion.

Murdoch has it to spare, and at least it would have hurt him. This is a slap on the wrist for him.

[OldBaldy1701E]

16. You know why they ponied up that money?

Because they know they will make it back in a few weeks. You know why they admitted they lied? Because it gets them out of court and they know that their core will not care because they see all of this as an attempt by the 'libs' to stop their god given truths from coming out. That party and those that are still affiliated with it are traitors and enemies to their country. That party is being led by dictators and sycophants. It is more of a danger than any other 'party' we have ever faced.

Because they are still here and still able to hold a percentage of the population. Yo know, that part that wants an oligarchy because their wealthy overlords want an oligarchy.

[qwlauren35]

17. Quite pissed about this.

It needed to go to trial. Fox needed to be smeared for eternity. They should have had to pay billions of dollars for this.

I am furious that Dominion agreed to a settlement and have no idea why. Maybe it is explained in the article.

[onenote]

20. There are several reasons why Dominion would settle.

Most importantly, it wasn't guaranteed to win. A lot of folks complaining about the settlement just assume that Dominion was going to win. But any experienced trial lawyer will tell you that there is no such thing as a slam dunk trial before a jury. Plus, even if Dominion won, its victory wouldn't have included an order making Fox apologize on air or otherwise dictating how Fox reported the outcome. And there would be appeals that would last several years, adding to Dominion's legal expense, again with no certainty to the outcome.

Finally, there is an element of Delaware law that is explained here and that undoubtedly played a major role in Dominion's decision:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217840697

[Bengus81]

25. Oh please stop it. We've all heard the txt messages and emails

FOX LIED and LIED repeatedly about what they knew to be FACT to their brain dead audience. Spewing one thing on air and then knowingly claiming in "private" messages that it was all BULLSHIT and the election was fair and legit shows malfeasance on their part.

So some jury was going to find for FOX?!?!? Never would have happened. The settlement amount would have no doubt be lowered but so what? It's supposedly not about the money,it's all about a smeared reputation at the hands of FOX "news".

[onenote]

26. No company would bet the farm on how a jury would rule.

Moreover, there would be several years of appeals, ending with the Supreme Court. You want to bet against Fox at the Supreme Court? Go ahead. Dominion probably has people advising them that have a better sense of this than you do.

The emails and emails already are out there. What would be gained by having them regurgitated in court, particularly since on direct and cross-examination, the Fox witnesses would wrap themselves in the first amendment and the protection given to "opinion." What version of their testimony do you think the Fox viewers would hear about? And even non-Fox media will be more interested in how the Fox personalities try to defend themselves than with reporting on the already public emails and texts.

And when the case ended with, hopefully (but not guaranteed) a Dominion victory, Fox would announce that the judge and jury got it wrong, the result is an abomination and they will appeal all the way to the Supreme Court. That's what the Fox viewers will hear. And its also what the rest of the public will hear.

[Bengus81]

27. Oh well hell,then let Trump go and not "bet the farm" on his guilt either

That way Dems wouldn't look bad. What would have been gained by the txt's and emails ALL being out in the public? Seriously?? I'll bet we haven't heard half of them,the rest (like the one's we know about) would be incredible damaging to FOX and their phony ass "news" network.

But now....BURIED forever.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

18. For this thread

Link to tweet

[JudyM]

29. Locking

LBN posts require dedicated webpage links because, as with this one, the story posted no longer matches the underlying link.