Big news from the courts: Fox Corp. has hit a roadblock in its battle to dismiss a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit from Smartmatic, the voting machine company. A New York appeals court has ruled that the case can move forward, rejecting Fox’s attempt to toss it out.
Here’s what’s going on: Smartmatic claims Fox News, the network’s parent company, played a big part in spreading false information after the 2020 presidential election. Specifically, Smartmatic says Fox News pushed a campaign suggesting the company was involved in election fraud—allegations that Smartmatic insists are completely false.
In a decision that’s already making waves, a panel of five judges pointed to a previous court ruling involving Fox’s defamation of Dominion Voting Systems as a reason to allow Smartmatic’s case to continue. For those who may not remember, Fox had to pay $787 million to Dominion in 2023 after a similar lawsuit.
Smartmatic’s legal team didn’t hold back in their claims. They say Fox News aired over 100 false statements about them and actively worked to spread “disinformation” after the election. The judges agreed, saying that there’s enough evidence to go to trial. Smartmatic is now pushing for a jury to hear the case.
Erik Connolly, a lawyer representing Smartmatic, was quick to celebrate the ruling. He pointed out that Fox News had tried to dismiss the case but failed. Now, the network will have to answer for its actions in court.
This ruling comes just weeks after another news competitor, Newsmax, settled with Smartmatic. In that case, Newsmax admitted to making false claims about the company’s ownership and retracted its allegations. However, both parties kept quiet about any financial details.
Looks like this legal battle is far from over, and we’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out in the courtroom. Stay tuned for updates!
4o mini