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☆ Sanofi to settle 4,000 Zantac cancer lawsuits in US state courts
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Sanofi has reached an agreement in principle to settle 4,000 US lawsuits linking the discontinued heartburn drug Zantac to cancer, the company said on Wednesday. Sanofi still faces about 20,000 lawsuits over Zantac in Delaware state court. That judge concluded that the opinions of the plaintiffs’ expert witnesses that Zantac can cause cancer were not supported by sound science. “We are pushing forward aggressively against GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim and are preparing for multiple trials in California state court this year,” Moore said. Lawsuits began piling up from people who said they developed cancer after taking Zantac.

Persons: Sanofi, “ Sanofi, Boehringer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Jennifer Moore, Brent Wisner, ” Moore, Zantac, ranitidine Organizations: Court, Sanofi, GSK, Pfizer, Boehringer, US Food and Drug Administration Locations: Delaware, Zantac, Wilmington, Florida, California

☆ Judge schedules Newsmax case over 2020 election lies for September trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A judge has scheduled a major defamation case against right-wing cable channel Newsmax to go to trial in late September, putting the battle over 2020 election lies front-and-center at the peak of the 2024 campaign. A trial could have significant implications for the First Amendment and how journalists cover Trump’s election lies. The conservative network doesn’t attract a large audience like Fox News, but Newsmax’s ratings surged after the 2020 election. In addition to the Newsmax case, Smartmatic is also suing Fox News, the fringe far-right cable channel OAN and Trump allies like Rudy Giuliani and Mike Lindell, who peddled the same election lies. But there were delays in that case, creating an opening for the Smartmatic case.

Persons: CNN —, Donald Trump’s, Smartmatic, Joe Biden, Eric Davis, Davis, Newsmax, “ Newsmax, … Newsmax, ’, Trump’s, ”, Bill Daddi, Christopher Ruddy, Fox, Eric Bolling, Greta Van Susteren, Sebastian Gorka, Clinton, Dick Morris, Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Lindell Organizations: CNN, Dominion Voting Systems, Trump, Delaware Superior Court, Dominion, Fox News, Fox, Trump White House Locations: Delaware Superior

☆ Right-wing outlets facing 2020 election defamation lawsuits may have found a key defense overseas
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —An alleged bribery scheme in the Philippines has thrown a potential lifeline to Fox News and other right-wing media outlets that are battling massive defamation lawsuits from the voting technology company Smartmatic for their promotion of 2020 election lies. The overseas scandal washed ashore last year when the Justice Department charged the Philippines’ former election commissioner with money laundering. Since then, Fox News, Newsmax and OAN have seized on the allegations, attempting to obtain new documents about potential wrongdoing by Smartmatic that could boost their defense. None of the allegations levied by US prosecutors in court filings pertain to vote-flipping or alleged rigging of election results. Last year, Fox paid a historic $787 million settlement with another election technology company, Dominion Voting Systems, for its promotion of similar election lies.

Persons: CNN —, Smartmatic, Newsmax, Donald Trump, Andres Bautista, Bautista, Fox, Nicolas Maduro, —, Smartmatic “, ”, Trump, “ Smartmatic, ” OAN, Eric Davis, OAN, “, OAN –, ” Smartmatic, hasn’t Organizations: CNN, Fox News, Justice Department, Trump, OAN, Philippine, Smartmatic, Fox, Dominion Voting, Lawyers Locations: Philippines, California, Venezuela, Manila, Smartmatic, Miami, Delaware, Brazil, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium, Kenya, Oman, Switzerland, Taiwan

☆ Fox’s top lawyer blasts judge in Dominion case, says trial would’ve been ‘months of utter pain’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Viet Dinh, former Chief Legal and Policy Officer for Fox Corporation. Dinh said Davis issued “really illogical” rulings in the pretrial phase, which “hamstrung” Fox’s defense strategy. This artist sketch depicts Judge Eric Davis of Delaware Superior Court on the bench Monday, April 17, 2023, in Wilmington, Delaware. Elizabeth Williams/APThe judge ruled that none of Fox’s on-air statements about Dominion were true and rejected Fox’s attempts to throw the case out. Dominion made many of these messages public through court filings, and they painted an incredibly damning picture of Fox News.

Persons: CNN —, Viet Dinh, Eric Davis, ” Dinh, –, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Fox, Dinh, Davis, ”, Eric Davis of, Elizabeth Williams, Fox’s, Tucker Carlson, “ Organizations: CNN, Fox, Dominion Voting Systems, Fox Corporation, Delaware, Harvard Law, ” Dominion, Fox News, Eric Davis of Delaware Superior Court, Dominion, Harvard Locations: Viet, Delaware, Wilmington , Delaware, Smartmatic

But the challenge facing Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee in Georgia is unlike any of the others. For one, he is the only judge so far to allow television cameras in the courtroom to broadcast hearings and any trials. And the trials will play out in a battleground state that Trump narrowly lost in 2020. But the experience of some judges who have been thrust into the public eye point to potential pitfalls and dangers ahead for the 34-year-old Georgia native. “Hopefully, you have a life outside the law,” Cahill said during his talk in Reno about handling high-profile cases.

Persons: Peter Cahill, Derek Chauvin, George Floyd, you’re, ”, Donald Trump, Scott McAfee, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, McAfee, Aileen Cannon, Reggie Walton, Lewis ” Scooter, Libby, Dick Cheney, Roger Clemens, “, Lance Ito, Simpson, Critics, Jay Leno ”, Elizabeth Scherer, Nikolas Cruz, Cruz, Scherer, Eric Davis, Tanya Chutkan, Ito, Judy, he's, Han Chung, Chung, Trump's, E, Susan Garsh, Aaron Hernandez, ” Garsh, Fani Willis, Trump, Willis, — Chutkan, Barack Obama, Juan Manuel Merchan, Merchan, Chutkan, Brian Kemp, Kemp, ” Cahill Organizations: ATLANTA, Minnesota, National Judicial College, New York, Trump White House, Trump, Georgia, Senior, Associated Press, Los Angeles Superior, Delaware, Systems, Fox News, American Bar Association, U.S, New Yorker, McAfee, Massachusetts, New England Patriots, AP, Patriots, University of Georgia, Republican, Federalist Society, Emory University, Georgia Aquarium Locations: Minneapolis, Reno , Nevada, Fulton, Georgia, U.S, Florida, Los, Parkland, Washington, Fulton County, Gwinnett County, Reno

☆ Dominion’s $1.6 billion defamation suit against Newsmax over election lies set for September 2024 trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Newsmax over the right-wing network’s airing of 2020 election lies is scheduled to go to trial in late September 2024, a Delaware judge decided. The decision by Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis means — barring an out-of-court settlement — Trump’s lies about the 2020 election will be front and center at a four-week trial during the closing weeks of the 2024 election. Davis presided over a similar high-profile defamation case brought by Dominion against Fox News over the network’s airing of election lies. The case ended in April with a last-second $787 million settlement, the largest publicly known defamation settlement in US history. Newsmax is also facing a massive defamation suit from Smartmatic, another voting technology company that was accused by right-wing figures of rigging the 2020 election.

Persons: Newsmax, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Eric Davis, Davis, Dominion “, Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Lindell, Patrick Byrne, Trump, “ Organizations: CNN, Dominion, Delaware, Fox News, Newsmax, Trump Locations: Delaware, Biden’s

☆ Fox News sued for defamation by Trump supporter Ray Epps over Jan. 6 conspiracy claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ray Epps, in the red Trump hat, center, gestures to others as people gather on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 6, 2021. Fox News was sued for defamation Wednesday by self-described Donald Trump supporter Ray Epps for "spreading falsehoods" that Epps was an undercover FBI agent who was responsible for encouraging a mob of Trump backers that invaded the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The suit by Epps, a former U.S. Marine, said that as Fox recently learned in the Dominion case, "its lies have consequences." He was among the throng of supporters of then-President Trump who gathered outside the Capitol on Jan. 6. Epps and other Trump backers believed false claims by Trump and his allies that the 2020 presidential election had been rigged in favor of President Joe Biden.

Persons: Ray Epps, Donald Trump, Epps, Tucker Carlson, Trump, Joe Biden, Ray Epps —, —, Robyn's Organizations: U.S, Capitol, Washington , D.C, Fox News, Trump, Arizona, Fox Corp, U.S . Marine, Fox, Republican Party, Dominion, U.S . Department of Justice Locations: Washington ,, U.S, Dominion, Delaware, Court

[1/2] A Fox News channel sign is seen on a television vehicle outside the News Corporation building in New York City, in New York, U.S. November 8, 2017. The deal follows Fox's April 18 agreement to pay Dominion $787.5 million to settle the voting-technology company's defamation suit in Delaware. In firing her, Fox said her legal claims were "riddled with false allegations against Fox and our employees." She had also sought unspecified damages in a similar lawsuit in Delaware Superior Court, which she dismissed in May. The program on which Grossberg worked, "Tucker Carlson Tonight," was the top-rated prime-time U.S. cable TV news show.

Persons: Shannon Stapleton, Abby Grossberg, Tanvir Rahman, Tucker Carlson, Dominion, Grossberg, Carlson, “, ” Grossberg, Fox, ” Dominion, Gretchen Whitmer, Tudor Dixon, octogenarian, Nancy Pelosi, Maria Bartiromo, Kevin McCarthy, Helen Coster, Doina Chiacu, Leslie Adler Organizations: Fox, News Corporation, REUTERS, Fox Corp, Fox News, Voting, Dominion, Delaware Superior Court, Democratic, Republican, U.S ., Thomson Locations: New York City, New York, U.S, Delaware, Manhattan, Delaware Superior, Grossberg's Manhattan

☆ Smartmatic subpoenas Donald Trump's former campaign in lawsuit against Fox News over 2020 election conspiracy theories
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trump's lawyers defamed Smartmatic with election conspiracy theories, Smartmatic says. They seek communications and files from Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., Trump's campaign vehicle for the 2016 and 2020 elections. In the subpoenas, Smartmatic asks for all communications regarding Smartmatic or Dominion — a rival election technology company also caught up in conspiracy theories — in connection with Fox News and Newsmax around the time of the 2020 election. They also ask for communication regarding appearances by Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, two attorneys who advanced the conspiracy theories on behalf of the Trump campaign. The subpoenas indicate that Smartmatic seeks to penetrate the inner workings of Trump's campaign operation to understand their links with right-wing media organizations.

☆ Fox Producer Dismisses, for Now, Case Accusing Network of Coercion
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A former Fox News producer who has accused the network of coercing her into providing misleading testimony has dismissed one of her lawsuits against the company, at least for now. In a court filing on Friday in Delaware Superior Court, Abby Grossberg, who worked for the hosts Maria Bartiromo and Tucker Carlson, said that she was voluntarily dismissing the complaint without prejudice, which means the case can be brought again. Ms. Grossberg had claimed in the lawsuit that she had been pressured and coached by Fox’s lawyers to protect the company and lie in her sworn deposition as part of the Dominion Voting Systems case against Fox. Fox settled with Dominion for $787.5 million in April, just before the trial was about to begin in the high-profile defamation case.

May 5 (Reuters) - Fox News on Friday asked lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems to investigate whether they leaked controversial internal messages from ousted Fox host Tucker Carlson that were provided in evidence for their recent defamation lawsuit. The requests, which were made in letters released by Fox, came after multiple news outlets published racist and sexist remarks by Carlson contained in leaked internal messages and recordings. Fox News and its parent company Fox Corp (FOXA.O) said those were given to Dominion as part of the lawsuit, which claimed Fox defamed Dominion by airing false election-rigging claims. Dominion denied the materials came from the company or any of its lawyers. Media outlets including the New York Times reported that the decision came after Fox's board saw Carlson's internal messages.

☆ Times Asks Judge in Fox-Dominion Case to Rule on Redactions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Jeremy W. Peters | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The New York Times and a consortium of media organizations are asking a judge to rule whether Fox News improperly redacted portions of texts and email exchanges that were introduced as evidence in Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit against the network. Dominion and Fox settled the case last month for $787.5 million, in what is believed to be the largest out-of-court payout in a defamation case. But left unaddressed was a legal challenge filed by The Times in January that sought to unseal some of what Fox and Dominion had marked as confidential in their legal filings. On Monday, a lawyer representing The Times wrote to Judge Eric M. Davis of Delaware Superior Court saying that the issue was not moot simply because the case had been settled. There is strong legal precedent, the letter said, affirming the public’s right to understand what unfolded in cases that are resolved before they go to trial.

☆ Lawyers plan to depose Tucker Carlson about 'sexist' workplace later this year amid reports he was ousted from Fox News over misogynistic messages
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Grossberg's lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court against Fox News in March, also names both Carlson and one of his top producers, Justin Wells, as defendants. Their removal from Fox News, however, doesn't mean they can escape scrutiny in the lawsuit, Grossberg's lawyer Tanvir Rahman told Insider. Grossberg's lawsuit was one factor in the decision to fire him, according to the Los Angeles Times. Grossberg's lawsuit alleges she experienced a hostile environment while working as a producer for shows hosted by Carlson and Maria Bartiromo. Fox executives derided Bartiromo with sexist terms, calling her "menopausal," "hysterical," a "diva," and a "crazy bitch," Grossberg's lawsuit claims.

☆ Dominion’s CEO: Why We Settled the Fox News Lawsuit - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( John Poulos | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Tuesday, when we proudly walked into the Delaware Superior Court, we were going to trial. We knew our case was incredibly strong, and I still believe that at the end of the six-week trial, the jury most likely would have agreed. We had reviewed more than a million internal Fox documents and deposed dozens of people, and Fox’s legal team had reviewed more than a million of ours. At trial, we weren’t expecting any more shocking revelations — we frankly didn’t need any more. The settlement we negotiated accomplished two critical goals: allowing our employees and customers to move forward, and hitting Fox where it hurt most — its bank account.

☆ Opinion | Did Fox News Just Pay for the Privilege of Continued Corruption?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( David French | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The settlement reflects Fox’s abandonment of even the most minimal journalistic standards. The headline stated that “Fox News Media, Dominion Voting Systems reach agreement over defamation lawsuit,” but it didn’t state the amount of the settlement and instead mainly focused on the judge’s compliments of Fox’s legal team. Some of them, including members of his legal team, made false and unsubstantiated claims against Dominion Voting Systems and are the subject of separate defamation lawsuits. In the meantime, many of the viewers who keep the company so very profitable won’t know anything meaningful about the Dominion settlement or Fox’s lies — because Fox won’t tell them. While this newsletter is admittedly rather bleak even in the face of Fox’s decisive court defeat, the story is far from over.

[1/3] Dominion lawyers embrace after Dominion Voting Systems and Fox settled the defamation lawsuit over Fox's coverage of debunked election-rigging claims, in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., April 18, 2023. At least 31 lawyers from nine different law firms worked on the case, court filings show. It was not immediately clear how large a share of the settlement the firm would receive in legal fees. The filings do not include recent costs associated with preparing for trial or the success fees lawyers could earn from the settlement. Fox News also hired Paul Clement and Erin Murphy, top appeals court lawyers who have advocated for conservative causes at the U.S. Supreme Court.

☆ Fox has more headaches coming after agreeing to pay $787.5 million to settle Dominion's defamation lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

After shelling out $787.5 billion to settle Dominion's lawsuit, Fox has more troubles on the way. Atop the list is a separate lawsuit from Smartmatic, another election technology company that sued Fox News Network and its parent company, Fox Corp., in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. Smartmatic's defamation lawsuit asks for $2.7 billion in damages and was filed against Fox Corp.; Fox News Network; hosts Jeanine Pirro, Maria Bartiromo, and Lou Dobbs; and Powell and Giuliani. Aside from the Smartmatic case, Fox News has to deal with potential shareholder lawsuits. The overall value of Fox Corp. — which also includes Fox Sports and the streaming service Tubi — is more than $17.6 billion.

April 19 (Reuters) - Fox News on Tuesday disposed of one legal threat with its $787.5 million defamation settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, but the network still faces a $2.7 billion lawsuit from another voting technology company, Smartmatic USA, over its coverage of debunked election-rigging claims. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File PhotoSmartmatic is seeking $2.7 billion in damages from Fox and five individuals, including former Trump lawyers and hosts. Smartmatic alleges in its lawsuit in New York County Supreme Court that the defendants knowingly spread false claims that its software was used to flip votes. Conspiracy theorists erroneously claimed Smartmatic owned Dominion, and the companies mounted similar allegations in their lawsuits. Fox denies the allegations, saying in a recent statement the network had a right to report on highly newsworthy allegations of voter fraud.

"Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion that caused enormous damage to my company, our employees and our customers," Poulos said in a statement. Fox anchor Neil Cavuto broke into his news show "Your World" about 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to report the settlement. In February court filings, Dominion cited a trove of internal communications in which Murdoch and other Fox figures privately acknowledged that the vote-rigging claims made about Dominion on-air were false. Dominion said Fox amplified the untrue claims to boost its ratings and prevent its viewers from migrating to other media competitors on the right. ANOTHER LAWSUIT PENDINGAdding to the legal risks for Fox, another U.S. voting technology company, Smartmatic, is pursuing its own defamation lawsuit seeking $2.7 billion in damages in a New York state court.

☆ 16 takeaways from Fox News' historic $787.5 million settlement with Dominion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

In the moments after I watched the judge announce the settlement in court, 16 things went through my mind:1. Evidence obtained by Dominion in the lawsuit and filed to court ahead of the settlement appeared to support that theory. There's always the Smartmatic case. In court filings ahead of the settlement, Fox complained about the $1.6 billion price tag Dominion put on the lawsuit. "Would be pretty unreal if you guys like 20x'ed your Dominion investment with these lawsuits," read one text to a Staple Street executive cited in a Fox court filing.

☆ Judge privately said Fox News spokesperson should 'be nicer' after she 'ratted on other people' about courtroom conduct in Dominion case
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The judge in the Dominion v. Fox lawsuit criticized a Fox News spokesperson in a private conversation. He said she should "be nicer to people" after saying she "ratted on" others for tweeting in court, which is forbidden. She had taken photos of the courtroom on her phone, before the judge or any prospective jurors arrived. After leaving the main courtroom, Cronin went into the overflow room. After hours of waiting and what the transcript refers to as a brief "sidebar discussion held off the record," the judge announced Fox and Dominion had reached a settlement.

The voice on the other end asked Roscoe if he would serve as an eleventh-hour mediator in the massive defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News. “I said yes,” Roscoe told CNN on Wednesday, recalling advice his father gave him at the age of 16 about accepting work assignments while on vacation. Eduardo Munoz/Reuters/Eric Lee/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesIn the lead up to the last-second deal, attorneys for both Fox News and Dominion were fully expecting a trial. Last week, Dominion had notified Fox News that one of its first witnesses would be Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old Fox Corporation chairman, a person familiar with the matter told CNN. “Presence in the courtroom often tends to crystalize the focus of the risks and benefits of litigation,” Roscoe told CNN.

☆ Premarket stocks: The earnings recession is here. There could be worse to come
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —Earnings reports are coming thick and fast, showing how companies fared in the first few months of the year. But even as earnings are forecast to slump to their lowest level in three years, investors fear the worst is yet to come. This left significant gaps in the forensic search for Nazi-linked records, the Senate Committee stated. AlixPartners, according to the Senate committee, has indicated it will conduct a “supplementary review” of Credit Suisse’s connections to ratlines amongst other allegations. Credit Suisse is Switzerland’s second-largest bank by assets and has spent the past few years plagued by scandals and large losses.

Dominion accused Fox and its parent company Fox Corp (FOXA.O) of ruining its business by airing claims that its machines were used to rig the 2020 U.S. presidential election in favor of Democrat Joe Biden and against then-president Donald Trump, a Republican. Smartmatic alleges in its lawsuit in New York County Supreme Court that the defendants knowingly spread false claims that its software was used to flip votes. Conspiracy theorists erroneously claimed Smartmatic owned Dominion, and the companies mounted similar allegations in their lawsuits. Fox denies the allegations, saying in a recent statement the network had a right to report on highly newsworthy allegations of voter fraud. Fox has said the allegations are “baseless” and were immediately investigated by outside lawyers.

☆ What’s next for Fox and Dominion? More lawsuits seeking accountability for corrosive 2020 election lies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Wilmington, Delaware CNN —Dominion Voting Systems’ blockbuster defamation case against Fox News is over after the right-wing network cuts a check for a staggering $787 million, but there’s still an avalanche of pending lawsuits that are seeking accountability from the right-wing figures who championed false claims about the 2020 election. Smartmatic, another voting technology company, sued Fox for defamation following the 2020 election and is seeking $2.7 billion in damages from Fox and other defendants. Dominion still has a bevy of pending lawsuits against 2020 election deniers. “All of those decisions will have a huge bearing on those lawsuits as they play out,” Dominion lawyer Davida Brook told CNN Tuesday night. Dominion lawyer Justin Nelson added in a CNN interview that the Fox News settlement “sends a message to the other seven lawsuits that accountability is coming.”

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