Fox News settles defamation lawsuit over election claims

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This artist sketch depicts Judge Eric Davis of Delaware Superior Court on the bench Monday in Wilmington, Del. Elizabeth Williams via AP

Fox News settles defamation lawsuit over election claims

A Delaware jury was scheduled to hear Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation case against Fox News on Tuesday. Shortly after jury selection ended, Judge Eric Davis announced the parties had reached a settlement. The media outlet agreed to pay the voting machine company $787.5 million, according to Dominion’s lead attorney, Justin Nelson.

Why was this case so significant? Dominion accused the news outlet of knowingly reporting false claims that the Denver-based company’s voting machines changed ballots in the 2020 presidential election. Fox said it was simply reporting on claims made by former President Donald Trump and his allies. Defamation cases must meet a high standard of proof and are often settled before a trial. Dominion would have had to prove Fox knowingly and intentionally aired lies. The trial was expected to last several weeks.

Dig deeper: Read Andrew T. Walker’s column in WORLD Opinions on how this lawsuit shows the importance of truth.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.