DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Fox News' settlement with Dominion doesn't mean the risk of embarrassment is over, with Smartmatic saying it 'remains committed' to its own defamation case against the network
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The company made the statement following Fox News' $787 million settlement with Dominion on Tuesday. Smartmatic sued Fox News for defamation in 2021 and is seeking $2.7 billion in damages. (In a statement, Fox News acknowledged the false statements and said the settlement reflected its "commitment to the highest journalistic standards.") It also opened the door to adding Fox News' parent company, the Fox Corporation, as a defendant. Before settling with Dominion, Fox News' public relations team said the same thing.

A Fox victory — after it limped into trial amid a series of legal setbacks — would be a major triumph for the network. “In the coming weeks, we will prove Fox spread lies causing enormous damage to Dominion. We look forward to trial,” a Dominion spokesperson said in a statement on the eve of trial. Pretrial dramaThus far, Fox News has faced an uphill battle in court, as the case careened toward trial. The outcome of the trial, however, is not likely to dramatically change the dishonest way in which Fox News operates.

☆ Dominion wasn't here to save democracy — it just wanted money from Fox News
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Fox News detractors wanted Dominion's lawsuit against Fox News to move forward for democracy's sake. "PLEASE Dominion --- Do not settle with Fox! The election technology company filed a civil defamation lawsuit against Fox News and its parent company, Fox Corporation, and asked for $1.6 billion. But just because Fox settled Dominion's lawsuit doesn't mean it's now free of legal risk. "Smartmatic remains committed to clearing its name, recouping the significant damage done to the company, and holding Fox accountable for undermining democracy."

☆ Fox News settles Dominion's defamation lawsuit for $787.5 million over election conspiracy theories just as the trial is about to start
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Fox News settled Dominion's defamation lawsuit over election conspiracy theories for $787.5 million. WILMINGTON, Delaware — Fox News settled Dominion Voting Systems's blockbuster defamation lawsuit just as it was about to go to trial, agreeing to pay it $787.5 million. In a press conference after Davis announced the settlement, Dominion CEO John Poulos criticized Fox for broadcasting lies about the company. Dominion first filed its lawsuit against Fox News and its parent company, Fox Corp., in March 2021. Representatives of Fox News arrive at the justice center for the Dominion Voting Systems' defamation lawsuit against Fox News, in Wilmington, Delaware.

☆ Fox News and Dominion settle election defamation lawsuit, judge says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFox News and Dominion settle election defamation lawsuit, judge saysCNBC's Eamon Javers joins 'Closing Bell: Overtime' to report on Fox Corp and Dominion resolving their voting system defamation case.

☆ Dominion lawyer: Fox settled defamation suit for $787.5 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailDominion lawyer: Fox settled defamation suit for $787.5 millionDominion holds a press conference after getting a setlement from Fox Corp over the voting system defamation case with Fox settling with Dominion for $787.5 million according to Dominion's lawyer.

November 15, 2020 -- Fox’s daytime average audience reaches a 35% decline since the eve of the election, according to statistics cited in Dominion's lawsuit. March 26, 2021 -- Dominion sues Fox News in Delaware Superior Court. March 31, 2023 -- Davis rules that the statements aired on Fox were false, defamatory and not covered by legal protections for the press under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. April 12, 2023 -- Davis sanctions Fox after it was revealed that the network failed to turn over relevant recordings and transcripts until the eve of trial. April 16, 2023 -- Davis delays trial by one day without giving a reason, but two sources told Reuters that Fox and Dominion were holding last-minute settlement talks.

☆ Fox News settles with Dominion, averting defamation trial over its 2020 election lies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Wilmington, Delaware CNN —The judge just announced in court that a settlement has been reached in the historic defamation case between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems. “The parties have resolved their case,” Superior Court Judge Eric Davis said. By settling with Dominion, influential Fox News executives and prominent on-air personalities will be spared from testifying about their 2020 election coverage, which was filled with lies about voter fraud. They denied Dominion’s claim that they promoted these election conspiracies to save their falling ratings after the 2020 election. While the Dominion case is now over, Fox News is still facing a second major defamation lawsuit from Smartmatic, another voting technology company that was smeared on Fox shows after the 2020 election.

A person walks past Fox News Headquarters at the News Corporation building on May 03, 2022 in New York City. - Fox Corp. and its cable networks agreed Tuesday to pay $787.5 million to Dominion Voting Systems to settle a defamation lawsuit over false claims that Dominion's machines swayed the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. The suit by Dominion, which sells voting machines and election software, had argued that Fox News and its sister network Fox Business "intentionally and falsely" blamed Dominion for the 2020 loss of former President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden by airing unsubstantiated claims about the company. Fox had said in court filings that its hosts' statements about Dominion were protected by the First Amendment. The company also said Dominion had not shown that the statements were made with so-called actual malice, which is the threshold for civil defamation claims.

The source, who was not authorized to speak publicly, told Reuters that Fox was seeking a possible settlement. The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal also reported that Fox was pursuing settlement talks, citing sources. Dominion is suing Fox Corp (FOXA.O) and Fox News in a defamation lawsuit over the network's coverage of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Davis on Wednesday sanctioned Fox News, handing Dominion a fresh chance to gather evidence after Fox withheld records until the eve of the trial. An expert report commissioned by Dominion attributed scores of lost contracts to Fox's coverage, though much of the report remains under seal.

April 16 (Reuters) - A judge in Delaware on Sunday delayed by one day the start of trial in a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox Corp (FOXA.O), a courthouse spokesperson said. "The Court has decided to continue the start of the trial, including jury selection, until Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. I will make such an announcement tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. in Courtroom 7E," said Judge Eric Davis, according to the statement. Davis had said on Thursday he expected to conclude jury selection on Monday and proceed to opening statements. The trial is one of the most closely watched U.S. defamation cases in years, involving a leading cable news outlet with numerous conservative commentators.

Investors are using provisions in Delaware corporate law to demand internal Fox records to investigate how Fox's leaders acted as its Fox News network aired segments on Trump's false claims that he lost the 2020 presidential election due to voter fraud, two sources confirmed. In moves not previously reported, shareholders are looking for records such as board minutes, emails and texts that may contain evidence that Fox directors and executives were derelict by allowing the network to air the false claims. It was not clear how many Fox shareholders are pursuing information demands. Fox has argued that Dominion's case falls short of proving actual malice and its damages request is "untethered from reality." If Fox prevails in the Dominion case, the shareholders' cases would not be as strong, said Ann Lipton, a professor at Tulane University Law School.

☆ Dominion defamation trial against Fox to proceed Tuesday after delay
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Helen Coster | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Dominion sued Fox Corp and Fox News. Rupert Murdoch, the chair of Fox Corp, is set to testify during the trial, along with a parade of Fox executives and on-air hosts, including Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro. Fox's filing cited a Friday email from a Dominion lawyer saying that Dominion would not pursue its lost profit claim at the trial. Davis on Wednesday sanctioned Fox News, handing Dominion a fresh chance to gather evidence after Fox withheld records until the eve of the trial. Fox has also said that Dominion cannot pin actual malice on the individuals Dominion has said were responsible for the defamatory statements.

☆ Fox-Dominion defamation trial delayed by one day
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsFox-Dominion defamation trial delayed by one dayPostedThe trial in the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox Corp and Fox News is scheduled to proceed on Tuesday rather than Monday. A source told Reuters that Fox had been pursuing a possible settlement in the high-stakes case. This report produced by Jillian Kitchener.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Charles Schwab, Dell, Alphabet, HP Inc. & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Charles Schwab — Shares of Charles Schwab gained 3% on better-than-expected earnings. The company posted a profit of 93 cents per share, beating a Refinitiv forecast of 90 cents per share. M&T Bank — The regional bank stock jumped 3% after the company posted its latest quarterly figures. Lumentum — The optical fiber manufacturer rose slightly after JPMorgan upgraded the stock to overweight from neutral. Ollie's Bargain Outlet — The discount retail rose 3% in premarket trading after JPMorgan upgraded the stock to neutral from overweight.

☆ Fox News pushes Dominion to settle mammoth defamation lawsuit as judge delays trial, multiple sources report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Fox is pushing Dominion to settle its $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit, WSJ and Reuters report. Fox made a last-minute attempt to settle the case out of court, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation. A spokesperson for Fox Corp., the parent company of Fox News, declined to comment to Insider on the record. Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Chairman Rupert Murdoch. Adrian Edwards/GC ImagesIn his own messages and depositions, Fox Corp.

Fox has said Dominion cannot prove that the network knowingly spread falsehoods or recklessly disregarded the truth, the legal standard of "actual malice" that plaintiffs in defamation lawsuits must meet. Fox is now largely limited to arguing that Dominion cannot prove actual malice. Fox has called Dominion's lawsuit an assault on the free press and framed its stance in the case as a defense of journalism and diversity of ideas in the public square. Fox has attacked the credibility of Dominion's damages estimate, saying it is based upon unrealistic growth projections and faulty assumptions. An expert report commissioned by the company attributed scores of lost contracts to Fox's coverage, though much of the report remains under seal.

☆ What to know ahead of the Fox News and Dominion trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —A trial in a defamation suit brought against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems is set to begin this week. Here are 5 things to know ahead of the trial. Fox was trying to block Dominion from having the Murdochs on the witness stand. Fox Corporation, the right-wing news outlet’s owner, has an estimated $4 billion in cash on hand, according to its latest earnings statement. Though major figures at Fox privately acknowledged reality – that former President Donald Trump had lost to President Joe Biden in 2020 – Fox continued to air conspiracies and lies in order to keep its large audience engaged.

Wilmington, Delaware CNN —Dominion Voting Systems’ high-stakes defamation trial against Fox News, which was supposed to begin Monday, was abruptly delayed on Sunday evening, in a stunning eleventh-hour twist that threw into question whether a settlement was in the works. Opening statements were expected on Monday, but the Delaware Superior Court said in a surprise announcement that “the start of the trial” will now be Tuesday. “The Court has decided to continue the start of the trial, including jury selection, until Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. Neither Dominion nor Fox commented on the delay Sunday. It says it was defamed by the right-wing network when Fox hosts and guests claimed in 2020 that its voting systems illegally rigged the election against Donald Trump.

☆ Dominion’s case against Fox News goes to trial next week. Is the First Amendment really on the line?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

But even by the standards of the profession, the language in Dominion's $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News has been downright apocalyptic. A victory for Dominion against Fox, they say, could wreak havoc for other journalism organizations across the country. The sheer closeness between Trump and Fox News makes a case like this unlikely to harm journalism organizations down the line, Goodale said. The vast majority of defamation cases against media organizations are settled, which gives few high-profile precedents to the Dominion lawsuit. "And that's the balance that the Sullivan court strike tried to strike in 1964.

☆ Fox mogul Rupert Murdoch survived the phone-hacking scandal. Dominion's $1.6 billion lawsuit will test whether he can do it again.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Now, two voting-technology companies, Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, want to make another Murdoch media property pay even more for Fox News's role in spreading election denial. But the phone-hacking scandal showed how Murdoch has weathered challenges to his power before. Another key difference from the phone-hacking scandal is the presence of written records that show Fox execs knew exactly what was going on. In the last quarter of 2022, Fox Corp. netted $321 million on $4.6 billion in revenue. And during the phone-hacking scandal, Murdoch showed fierce loyalty.

☆ Fox News apologizes to judge in defamation case for failing to disclose Rupert Murdoch's role at the network
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Fox News apologized to the Delaware judge presiding over the Dominion Voting Systems' lawsuit for failing to properly define Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch's formal role at the network, according to a letter filed with the court. "We understand the Court's concerns, apologize, and are committed to clear and full communication with the Court moving forward," Fox attorney Blake Rohrbacher wrote in the letter Friday. Dominion Voting Systems brought its defamation lawsuit against Fox and its TV networks, Fox News and Fox Business, in March 2021, arguing its hosts pushed false claims that Dominion's voting machines were rigged in the 2020 presidential election that saw President Joe Biden triumph over former President Donald Trump. Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis expressed frustration with the network Tuesday for its failure to accurately disclose Murdoch's leadership role there. Fox lawyers had repeatedly claimed Murdoch did not have an official title at Fox News, only to later reveal that he serves as the Fox News Executive Chair.

☆ Fox News apologizes to judge for ‘misunderstanding’ over Rupert Murdoch’s role that sparked investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —Fox News formally apologized to the judge in the Dominion defamation case, taking responsibility for the “misunderstanding” regarding Rupert Murdoch’s role at the network that led the judge to launch an investigation into potential legal misconduct by Fox, according to a letter obtained by CNN. We apologize and never intended to avoid responding to a question from the Court.”The legal spat revolves around Murdoch’s roles at Fox News and its parent company, Fox Corporation. In past court filings, and when asked directly by the judge, Fox lawyers have repeatedly said he didn’t have an official title at Fox News. But last week, Fox disclosed that he is also an executive officer at Fox News. At hearings this past week in Wilmington, Delaware, Fox attorneys said they never withheld any material from Dominion.

Fox has argued that Dominion cherry-picked evidence to mischaracterize the network's coverage decisions, which it said were reasonable because election-rigging claims by the president's lawyers were inherently newsworthy. Fox has said it also gave Dominion's side of the story by airing its denials. The Fox Corp chairman is set to take the witness stand, along with other executives including Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott. The trial is also due to include testimony from a parade of conservative-leaning Fox hosts including Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro. Fox has attacked the credibility of Dominion's damages estimate, saying it is based upon unrealistic growth projections and faulty assumptions.

☆ Fox News, Dominion Prepare for Battle in $1.6 Billion Defamation Trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Erin Mulvaney | Isabella Simonetti | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Fox News has sought to position its actions and election coverage as within the mainstream. Fox News is set to find itself Monday in a place it has spent two years trying to avoid: a Delaware courtroom where a jury is expected decide a once in a generation defamation case that could have broad ramifications for the network and test the contours of modern media law. The news network, a unit of Fox Corp., is accused by voting-machine company Dominion Voting Systems of airing false claims by hosts and guests that Dominion helped rig the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential election in favor of Joe Biden.

Search resuls for: "FOX Corp"

25 mentions found