A Delaware judge has put an end to Fox News’ hopes of a quick end to the $1.6bn defamation suit Dominion Voting Systems brought against the network for spreading conspiracy theories about the company’s role in the 2020 election.
In a ruling released on Thursday, Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis found that the voting machine manufacturer’s allegations that the network had defamed it by allowing hosts and guests to tell lies about the company’s products were sufficient to let the case go to trial.
“At this stage, it is reasonably conceivable that Dominion has a claim for defamation per se,” Judge Davis said in his ruling. “Accordingly, Fox’s Motion should be denied.”
The lawsuit, which the voting machine maker filed in March, alleges that Fox tried to inflate its viewership by promoting lies told by such guests as Trump legal team members Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, both of whom have falsely claimed that Dominion’s machines were engineered to steal elections at the behest of deceased Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez.
The company’s suit against Fox singled out such hosts as Lou Dobbs and Maria Bartiromo as spreaders of the conspiracy theories. Dominion has sued Mr Giuliani and Ms Powell for similar amounts in separate lawsuits, and is also pursuing legal action against MyPillow founder and pitchman Mike Lindell on similar grounds.
In a statement to Reuters, a Fox spokesperson said the lawsuit was “baseless” and vowed that the network would defend itself going forward.
“As we have maintained, FOX News, along with every single news organization across the country, vigorously covered the breaking news surrounding the unprecedented 2020 election, providing full context of every story with in-depth reporting and clear-cut analysis,” the Fox spokesperson said.
