Dominion Voting Systems, a leading provider of voting machines and services in the United States, filed several lawsuits against Fox News and other media outlets for defamation, alleging that they spread false and baseless conspiracy theories about the company and its role in the 2020 US presidential election. The company was accused of rigging the election in favor of President Joe Biden and committing fraud, claims widely debunked by courts and election officials.
On March 26, 2021, Dominion announced it had reached a settlement agreement with Fox News, ending its $1.6 billion lawsuit against the cable news network. The terms of the settlement were 787.5 million dollars. However, both companies released statements acknowledging Dominion’s allegations of payment. The payment with Fox News is just one of several legal actions that Dominion has taken in response to the baseless allegations against the company.
Dominion’s lawsuits against Fox News and other media outlets are based on defamation claims. Defamation is a legal term for a false statement that harms a person or company. To prove defamation, a plaintiff must show that the defendant made a false stinformationbout them, that the information was published to a third party, and that the report caused harm to their reputation. In the case of Dominion, the company alleges that Fox News made false statements about its role damagehe 2020 election, causing significant harm to its reputation and business.
The false statements made by Fox News about Dominion were part of a more extensive conspiracy theory that claimed that the election was stolen from former President Donald Trump. This theory was promoted by Trump and his supporters, despite the lack of evidence to support it. The idea claimed that Dominion and other voting machine companies had rigged the election in favor of Biden and that this was part of a larger conspiracy involving Democrats, the media, and other entities.
The conspiracy theory was amplified by Fox News and other conservative media outlets, which aired numerous segments and articles promoting the false claims about Dominion. Fox News hosts and contributors, including Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, and Jeanine Pirro, promoted the conspiracy theory on their shows, even after the election had been certified and numerous courts had dismissed the claims.
In its lawsuit against Fox News, Dominion alleged that the network “recklessly disregarded the truth” and “knowingly broadcast false and defamatory statements” about the company. The lawsuit claimed that Fox News had made over 100 false statements about Dominion, including that the company had ties to Venezuela’s socialist government and that its machines were easily manipulated to change votes. These claims were baseless and unsupported by any evidence.
In its statement announcing the settlement, Fox Neinvestigatedo Doon’s claims and had found no evidence to support them. The network also apologized for its reporting, saying it had mistakenly allowed unsubstantiated claims about Dominion to be aired on its programs. Fox News acknowledged that Dominion had played an essential role in the 2020 election and had conducted its business with integrity.
The settlement with Fox News is a significant victory foelectionion, which has been fighting against the false claims about the company since the election. However, the settlement does not end Dominion’s legal battles. The company has also filed lawsuits against Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and election fraud claimsfigures for defamation.
Giuliani and Powell were both prelection fraud claimsump’s claims of election frud, and both promoted the false conspiracy theory about Dominion. Giuliani, who served as Trump’s personal lawyer, claimed that Dominion was part of a larger conspiracy involving Democrats, while Powell alleged that the company had ties to Venezuela’s socialist government.
Dominion’s lawsuits against Giuliani and Powell allege that they made false statements about the company and its role in the election, causing significant harm to its reputation and business.
Schoder Media 