Fox, Dominion pursue pretrial wins in $1.6 billion defamation case

WILMINGTON, Del. (Reuters) – Lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems sued a Delaware judge on Tuesday for defamation charges for exposing voter fraud allegations. It sought to accredit Fox Corporation (FOXA.O), which is responsible for He argues that the network’s coverage of the 2020 election was constitutionally protected speech.

Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis was presiding over a hearing in Wilmington ahead of the start of a high-profile defamation trial scheduled for April 17. Both sides are trying to convince Davis that he should rule in their favor without the case going to trial.

Dominion sued Fox Corp and Fox News in 2021 for false allegations by former Republican President Donald Trump and his attorneys that the Denver-based company’s voting machines were used to manipulate the results of the election against him. He accused it of ruining its reputation by airing the allegations. Endorsement of Democrat Joe Biden.

This is the most high-profile U.S. news network in years, pitting an influential cable news network with conservative commentators against a voting technology company that claims Fox’s coverage has destroyed its business. one of several major media organization defamation cases.

If a judge finds Fox liable for defamation at this stage of the lawsuit, the trial will only concern the amount owed to Dominion as damages.

In court documents, Fox argued that Trump and his attorneys’ coverage of election fraud allegations was newsworthy in nature and protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on freedom of the press.

Both sides are seeking summary judgment, asking a judge to rule in their favor before entering a jury trial. Davis raised several questions, including whether the claims aired by Fox News were defamatory, protected as newsworthy coverage and commentary, and whether Fox was responsible for the damage Dominion claims. We look forward to hearing from you about the

In court filings, Dominion said a series of documents unearthed during the discovery process of the case showed that Fox executives and news staff knew the election fraud claims were false. Dominion argued that this met the standard of “actual bad faith” to win a defamation lawsuit, and that the plaintiffs , must prove that the defendant knowingly spread false information or acted in reckless disregard for the truth.

The lawsuit filed by Dominion last month was replete with references to emails and statements from Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch and Fox executives that the on-air claims about Dominion were false.

Fox accuses Dominion of picking the best from internal communications and deposited testimony to paint a misleading picture. disproportionate to the actual value of

Reporting by Jack Queen of Wilmington and Helen Coster of New York.Editing by Will Dunham and Amy Stevens

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