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Fox News settles Dominion defamation case
Fox News and Dominion, a US voting technology company, have reached a settlement of $787.5m just before their defamation trial was scheduled to begin.
Dominion had been seeking $1.6bn from Fox News, alleging that the network had spread false claims about its voting machines during the 2020 presidential election. The settlement means that Fox's top executives, including chairman Rupert Murdoch and anchor Tucker Carlson, will not have to testify.
Fox News released a statement claiming that the settlement was a reflection of the network's "commitment to the highest journalistic standards." The settlement came after an unexplained delay in the proceedings, leading to speculation that both parties were negotiating a deal. Ahead of the trial, Fox's attorneys had objected to the amount of damages sought by Dominion, characterizing the figure as inflated.
Legal findings suggested that some Fox executives and journalists privately questioned the conspiracy claims aired on the network regarding the 2020 presidential election.