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New York CNN —Dominion Voting Systems’ historic defamation case against Fox News will proceed to a high-stakes jury trial next month, a Delaware judge ruled Friday, declining to declare a pretrial winner. But in his Friday ruling, Davis said that the evidence Dominion presented shows Fox News aired falsehoods about the company. “The evidence developed in this civil proceeding demonstrates that is CRYSTAL clear that none of the Statements relating to Dominion about the 2020 election are true,” Davis wrote. The on-air statements, from various Fox News hosts after the 2020 election, had accused Dominion of rigging the election by flipping millions of votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden. Incriminating texts and emails have shown how Fox executives, hosts and producers didn’t believe the claims the network was peddling about Dominion.

☆ A judge just delivered a crushing blow to Fox News in Dominion's defamation lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Delaware judge handed Dominion a major victory in its defamation lawsuit against Fox News. In the same ruling, Davis denied all the claims from Fox News and Fox Corporation, which argued that Dominion failed to prove they should be held liable for the falsehoods. Dominion filed its lawsuit against Fox News, parent company Fox Corporation, and an array of individual hosts in March 2021, asking for $1.6 billion in damages. Dominion alleges that Fox News's hosts should have never had them on in the first place, and either endorsed or didn't sufficiently push back against their false claims. Allies like Rupert Murdoch and Sean Hannity indicated they were "disgusted" by Trump's claims of election rigging, filings show.

☆ Rupert Murdoch’s media machine offers full-throated defense of Trump after grand jury indictment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

It came despite the relationship between Murdoch and Trump being on the rocks as of late. And yet, Murdoch allowed the incendiary pro-Trump rhetoric to grip his network on Thursday night. If there was any doubt that Fox News might not offer a full-throated defense of Trump today, given the disgraced Republican’s shaky relationship with Murdoch, that has been erased. Even if he’s not convicted, they figure the indictment and spectacle will help him become the Republican nominee. The outlet’s website prominently featured a story saying Bragg “has a bad case of bias,” among other Trump-friendly articles.

☆ Dominion’s historic defamation case against Fox News will go to trial, judge rules, in major decision dismantling key Fox defenses
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Marshall Cohen Oliver Darcy | Marshall Cohen | Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —Dominion Voting Systems’ historic defamation case against Fox News will proceed to a high-stakes jury trial in mid-April, a Delaware judge ruled Friday, in a major decision that dismantled several of the right-wing network’s key defenses. Both sides had asked Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis for a pretrial ruling in their favor, declaring them the winner. After thousands of pages of filings and exhibits, and a series of courtroom clashes, Davis decided the case should go to trial. Incriminating texts and emails have shown how Fox executives, hosts and producers didn’t believe the claims the network was peddling about Dominion. Despite what appeared on air, Fox News executives and hosts privately criticized the Trump camp for pushing claims of election fraud.

CNN —Fox News swiftly banned then-President Donald Trump’s election-denying lawyers from appearing on the right-wing channel in December 2020 after being threatened with a defamation suit, a text message made public on Friday revealed. The message was made public as part of Dominion Voting Systems’ ongoing $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News. Grossberg’s text message was dated December 14, 2020. A Fox News spokesperson did not comment specifically on the exchange between Grossberg and Bartiromo indicating the network had banned Trump’s legal team from its air. Grossberg last week filed two lawsuits against Fox News accusing the network of coercing her into providing misleading testimony in the Dominion case.

Bad for business.”The email to Cooper was revealed as part of Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News. Dominion Voting SystemsIn earlier court filings, the data about the Fox Nation subscriptions had been redacted. The messages underscore the panic that gripped Fox News in the wake of the 2020 election when its viewers rebelled against the channel for accurately calling the election for President Joe Biden. At the time, Powell, Giuliani and host Lou Dobbs were promoting debunked conspiracy theories that Dominion had rigged the 2020 election by flipping millions of votes. fox dominion email Dominion Voting Systems“Any day with Rudy and Sidney is guaranteed gold!” the Dobbs producer wrote.

Fox News, however, did suggest it wants to put Scott, Wallace, Hannity, Carlson, Bartiromo, and Baier on the stand as witnesses. But in past court filings, Fox News has highlighted the fact that Baier said on-air shortly after the 2020 election that there weren’t indications of widespread fraud. Both Fox News and Dominion asked Davis in court this week to declare them the outright winner without a trial. Fox News has argued that it can’t be held liable for airing inherently newsworthy allegations from public figures that Dominion rigged the 2020 election, even if those claims were false. Fox Corporation has argued that Dominion overstated its role in Fox News’ editorial coverage of the 2020 election and asked to be dropped from the lawsuit – but the judge let the case move forward.

☆ Dominion wants Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, other Fox News hosts to testify at trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Dominion's live witness list of Fox Corp .'s right-wing TV networks includes Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro, as well as former host Lou Dobbs and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott, according to court papers. Dominion has pointed to 20 broadcasts in which they believe the hosts on Fox News and Fox Business repeated false claims of election fraud and continuously had on guests who repeated those claims. Documents, including text messages and emails, show Fox's TV hosts were skeptical of the election fraud claims being made on air. Dominion is also requesting the depositions of Fox Corp. executives, including Chairman Rupert Murdoch and CEO Lachlan Murdoch, as well as others, be included in the trial. "Dominion's needlessly expansive live witness list is yet another attempt to generate headlines and distract from the many shortcomings of its case.

NEW YORK, March 27 (Reuters) - A newly fired Fox News producer is seeking to recant testimony she said network lawyers coerced her into providing as Fox defends against Dominion Voting Systems' $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit. Grossberg said Fox fired her on Friday, four days after she originally sued and was put on administrative leave. Fox, part of Rupert Murdoch's Fox Corp (FOXA.O), said Grossberg "ignored" its warning that she might lose her job if she revealed privileged communications with lawyers. The cases are Grossberg v Fox Corp et al, Delaware Superior Court, No. N23C-03-180; and Grossberg v Fox Corp et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

☆ Former Tucker Carlson producer says Fox News lawyers coerced her into saying coworkers were trustworthy: 'They're activists, not journalists'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The New York lawsuit alleges that Fox News executives and producers denied her promotions and salary adjustments that would bring her in line with male colleagues. In another section of the lawsuit, Grossberg alleges a producer on Carlson's show repeatedly made antisemitic remarks. In her revised deposition, Grossberg answers that Bartiromo — one of the Fox News hosts who platformed Powell — has a "responsibility to push back against untrue statements with fact." "That did not happen with respect to Dominion-related reporting," Grossberg claims. "Ms. Grossberg ignored these communications and chose to file her complaint without taking any steps to protect those portions containing Fox's privileged information."

☆ Dominion’s Weak Case Against Fox
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( William P. Barr | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Blinded by resentment at Fox’s success as an alternative media voice, many media organizations offered a distorted narrative—largely parroting Dominion’s spin—that the disclosures doom Fox’s legal defense. Commentators from the New York Times , Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC and other outlets, gleeful at the prospect of a Fox setback, cheer on as the defamation case heads toward a trial date. But the real significance of the disclosures is exactly the opposite of what these media outlets claim. Two things are clear: First, if the applicable law is faithfully applied, the facts completely upend Dominion’s defamation claim against Fox. The case should be decided in Fox’s favor, if not at the trial stage, then on appeal.

“And yet, Mr. Carlson persists with his assault on the truth.”The letter from Teter demanded a formal retraction and on-air apology “for the lies” that have been spread about Epps on the channel. On many occasions, Carlson has specifically mentioned Epps on his show, and has played footage from January 6 of Epps at the Capitol. Each time Mr. Carlson and Fox News spreads more misinformation about Mr. Epps, the harm redoubles.”Spokespeople for Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He has publicly pushed for professional accountability against lawyers who have spread election lies. The lawsuit from Dominion has unearthed damning messages from Fox News executives and hosts that have shown the network peddled election lies to its audience that it knew were false.

☆ Tucker Carlson says he heard from Donald Trump over texts that revealed the Fox News host hated him 'passionately'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tucker Carlson said a "wounded" Donald Trump called him after his "hate" texts were made public. "I hate him passionately," the Fox News host texted of Trump, according to recent court filings. Carlson added, "And I said this to Trump when he called me, you know, all wounded about those texts. On the day of the deadly US Capitol riot, Carlson called Trump a "demonic force" in a text message to his producer, according to court documents. "At the time, I was just blaming the Trump campaign, and I was livid."

☆ Texts from the Dominion lawsuit reveal the real Fox News
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Rebecca Zisser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Among the messages is a thread where Tucker Carlson privately bashes Trump. Dominion captured a number of texts that show Fox employees' apprehension about the growing conspiracy claims about the company's voting machines in the wake of the election. Top Fox News hosts, including Tucker Carlson, privately insulted Chris Wallace and hatched a plot for a rebellion — November, 16, 2020. In a group chat between the three biggest hosts, Carlson, Hannity, and Ingraham, few colleagues, including then-"Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace, were spared. In a group chat between the three biggest hosts, Carlson, Hannity, and Ingraham, few colleagues such as then-"Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace were spared.

☆ Fox, Dominion urge judge to rule in $1.6 billion defamation suit ahead of April trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

However, Fox and Dominion didn't close up their arguments on Tuesday and will meet in court Wednesday morning. (Trump's false claims of election fraud are at the center of multiple criminal probes.) Chairman Rupert Murdoch said some anchors parroted false fraud claims in the months following the election. Fox has consistently denied the claims it knowingly made false claims, and has argued it is protected by the First Amendment. These cases are often settled out of court or quickly dismissed by a court judge, but neither said has had such discussions, CNBC previously reported.

WILMINGTON, Delaware, March 22 (Reuters) - Lawyers for Fox Corp (FOXA.O) and Dominion Voting Systems clashed in court on Wednesday over whether top Fox executives including Chairman Rupert Murdoch should be considered liable in the voting-technology company's $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit over 2020 U.S. election vote-rigging claims aired by Fox News. Dominion has argued that liability for the claims extends to the highest echelons of Fox. A Fox lawyer disputed the claim on Wednesday, arguing that executives including Murdoch were not directly involved in the allegedly defamatory television appearances by Trump lawyers, who falsely claimed Dominion stole the election. Dominion lawyer Justin Nelson argued that evidence amassed during the discovery phase of the case, including emails, shows that top Fox executives did not believe the claims but aired them anyway in pursuit of ratings. Dominion maintains that Fox knowingly spread false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth, thereby meeting the "actual malice" standard necessary to win a defamation case.

Murphy sought to provide context for the defamatory statements alleged by Dominion and argued that reasonable viewers understood that the claims aired on Fox News were mere allegations. The Fox News statements cited by Dominion included a Twitter post by former Fox Business host Lou Dobbs that included pro-Trump hashtags. Lawyer Justin Nelson answered no, saying Dominion's allegation is that Fox knew Trump's lawyers were going to make false claims but hosted them on its shows anyway. Abby Grossberg, who was head of booking for Fox News host Tucker Carlson, said coaching and intimidation by Fox lawyers before her deposition left her "feeling pressured not to name names or to implicate others, in particular prominent male on-air personalities and Fox News executives." Fox said in a statement on Tuesday that Grossberg's "allegations in connection with the Dominion case are baseless and we will vigorously defend Fox against all of her claims."

☆ Fox News producer was forced to spy on Maria Bartiromo, who execs called 'crazy,' menopausal,' and 'hysterical,' new lawsuit says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Grossberg says she was made to spy on host Maria Bartiromo, who execs called "crazy" and "menopausal." Grossberg said Fox executives called Bartiromo names behind the scenes. One producer, the suit says, called Bartiromo "crazy," "menopausal," and said she often became "hysterical," while another described her as a "diva." Jerry Andrews, vice president of weekend news at Fox News Media, is also said to have also requested Grossberg spy on the host. "In February 2022, Mr. Andrews reiterated his directive to Ms. Grossberg to 'keep an eye' on Ms. Bartiromo and report back anything 'crazy' that she said."

☆ Fox News producer files explosive lawsuits against the network, alleging she was coerced into providing misleading Dominion testimony
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —A Fox News producer on Monday filed a pair of explosive lawsuits against the right-wing talk channel, alleging that the network’s lawyers coerced her into providing misleading testimony in Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation case against the company. The lawsuits from Grossberg, who has since been placed on administrative leave by Fox, were filed in Delaware Superior Court and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. “It’s another example of Fox News not only shying away from the truth, but attempting to bury the truth,” Filippatos told CNN. Grossberg named Carlson and members of his staff in the lawsuit filed in New York. “I’ve covered many stories while I have been there,” Grossberg told CNN.

☆ Fox bosses ‘shut down’ fact checking with 2020 conspiracies, Dominion lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Dominion is suing Fox News over the right-wing channel’s airing of false claims of election fraud around the 2020 presidential election. Fox News argued that Dominion should instead rely on the “lengthy depositions” that these witnesses already gave. It claims Dominion hasn’t shown anything strong enough to overcome the high bar that the First Amendment provides, protecting good-faith journalists from speech-chilling defamation lawsuits. Dominion lawyer Rodney Smolla said its high-stakes defamation case against Fox News will protect the public discourse and hold accountable people who deliberately lied about the 2020 election. “They endorsed,” Murdoch said, referring to Fox hosts Sean Hannity, Jeanine Pirro, Maria Bartiromo, and former host Lou Dobbs.

☆ Fox News producer alleges Tucker Carlson's team plastered photos around the office of Nancy Pelosi in a bathing suit 'revealing her cleavage'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Fox News producer alleges Tucker Carlson's team posted photos of Nancy Pelosi in a bathing suit around the office. The lawsuit alleges the photos revealed Pelosi's cleavage, with the "joke" being that she looked bad. Apparently, the 'joke' was that Speaker Pelosi looked terrible in a bathing suit," the lawsuit alleges. A producer for a different Fox News show, the lawsuit alleges, called Bartiromo "not as credible as male anchors" at the network. The spokesperson did not comment on the allegations regarding sexism in the workplace or the alleged images of Nancy Pelosi.

☆ Media mogul Rupert Murdoch engaged to Ann Lesley Smith
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Helen Coster | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Tennis - US Open - Mens Final - New York, U.S. - September 10, 2017 - Rupert Murdoch, Chairman of Fox News Channel stands before Rafael Nadal of Spain plays against Kevin Anderson of South Africa. REUTERS/Mike Segar/March 20 (Reuters) - Fox Corp (FOXA.O) Chairman Rupert Murdoch is engaged to former San Francisco police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith, his spokesperson confirmed on Monday, which will mark the fifth marriage for the 92-year-old media mogul. Murdoch and Smith, 66, first met in September at his vineyard Moraga in Bel Air, California, and he called her two weeks later, Murdoch told the News Corp-owned NY Post, which broke the news of the engagement. Smith is a widow whose late husband was Chester Smith, a country singer, radio and TV executive. On March 17 in New York, Murdoch presented Smith with an Asscher-cut diamond solitaire ring, according to the Post.

☆ Fox News sued a Tucker Carlson producer named in the Dominion lawsuit for threatening to expose its legal secrets
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Jack Newsham | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Fox News says Abby Grossberg threatened to file a discrimination lawsuit that will reveal secrets. Dominion included Grossberg's texts and testimony in its defamation lawsuit against Fox. The network sued Abby Grossberg on Monday, claiming that she has threatened to sue Fox News for discrimination and retaliation. Fox News's suit against Grossberg didn't mention Dominion, referring only to an "unrelated lawsuit," but details in its complaint and in the record of the Dominion lawsuit make the connection clear. Dominion sued Fox News and its parent company, Fox Corporation, in March 2021, alleging it defamed the election technology company when its hosts allowed Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, two pro-Trump lawyers, to come on air.

☆ Fox News is unlikely to face pushback from professional journalism groups after court documents revealed it lied to viewers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The White House Correspondents' Association doesn't police member conduct, a former board member said. A number of professional organizations told Insider that Fox News fell well short of the standards expected in the profession. "Journalism receives significant protections from the First Amendment and with those protections come profound responsibilities," McCarran told Insider. Evidence made public in Dominion's lawsuit shows how Fox employees — beyond just hosts of opinion shows — had priorities other than telling their viewers the truth. "There are left-wing publications, right-wing publications, there are government-owned publications — there's Voice of America, foreign news organizations," the former board member said. "

☆ Mike Lindell says he had to borrow $10 million last year to keep MyPillow afloat — and that he's running out of cash, too
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell told Insider he had to borrow $10 million in 2022 to keep MyPillow afloat. Lindell said that to stay liquid, he also sold a building for $2 million, and borrowed $2 million. Lindell says he's burning through $1 million dollars every month on causes related to voter fraud. "I sold a building I had in Savage, in Minnesota, in October," Lindell told Insider. Lindell told Insider some creature comforts — like his private jet, which had a door come off it in October — haven't been sold yet.

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