Fox News Faces Trial Over 2020 Election Fraud Claims: Smartmatic Lawsuit Moves Forward
The legal battle between Fox News and Smartmatic, the voting technology company, continues to heat up. New revelations from the pre-trial discovery process have uncovered damning internal communications that suggest Fox executives, including Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan, were fully aware that Joe Biden won the 2020 election fairly. Despite this knowledge, Fox allowed its network hosts and guests to spread false claims of election fraud, aiming to cater to the network’s Trump-supporting viewers.
Hosts like Maria Bartiromo and the late Lou Dobbs gave a platform to individuals making wild, unsubstantiated claims about Smartmatic, a voting technology company, alleging that it played a role in rigging the election. At times, these hosts appeared to endorse these claims, further fueling the misinformation.
Just one day after Smartmatic filed its defamation lawsuit in February 2021, Fox News made the decision to part ways with Dobbs. However, within two weeks, the network aired a segment featuring Edward Perez, a voting technology expert, to rebut the unfounded allegations about Smartmatic, similar to moves made by rival news network Newsmax.
Smartmatic’s legal team is determined to hold Fox accountable for its actions. Lead attorney Erik Connolly issued a statement, saying, “Fox Corporation attempted, and failed, to have this case dismissed. Now, they must answer for their actions at trial.” Smartmatic is seeking billions in damages, alleging that Fox News and its parent company, Fox Corp., orchestrated a targeted defamation campaign to undermine the 2020 election.
Recently, a New York state appellate court ruled that Smartmatic’s $2.7 billion defamation suit can proceed, allowing the case to move forward toward trial. The same ruling did dismiss some claims against Fox’s parent company, Fox Corp., but the core of the case will be heard in court, where Smartmatic will present its evidence. Fox News faces the possibility of answering for its controversial actions in a highly publicized trial.
Stay tuned as this legal showdown unfolds, with both sides preparing for an intense courtroom battle that could have major consequences for the media giant.