Dominion Voting Systems, the company at the center of the controversy surrounding the 2020 US presidential election, has filed a $1.6 billion lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corporation, alleging that the network spread false information about Dominion’s role in the election.
Dominion is seeking damages for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The lawsuit, filed in Delaware, accuses Fox News and several of its hosts, including Maria Bartiromo, Lou Dobbs, and Jeanine Pirro, of spreading conspiracy theories about the company’s voting machines.
According to the lawsuit, Fox News and its hosts “recklessly disregarded the truth” and “knowingly broadcast false and defamatory statements” about Dominion’s machines, which they claimed were rigged to change votes in favor of Joe Biden.
Dominion’s lawsuit is the latest legal action taken by the company in response to allegations of election fraud. In December 2020, Dominion filed a defamation lawsuit against former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell, who had also made false claims about the company’s voting machines.
The lawsuit against Fox Corporation is significant, however, as it takes aim at one of the largest and most influential media companies in the world. Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corporation owns a number of popular cable news networks, including Fox News, Fox Business, and Fox Sports.
Dominion alleges that Fox News’s coverage of the election was driven by a desire to support former President Donald Trump and to boost ratings, rather than a commitment to accurate reporting. The lawsuit claims that Fox News’s coverage of Dominion’s machines was “an attack on democracy itself” and “a clear and present danger to the peaceful transition of power.”
Fox News has yet to respond to the lawsuit, but in the past, the network has defended its coverage of the election and denied spreading misinformation about Dominion’s machines.
The Dominion lawsuit is just one of several legal challenges facing Fox News and other media companies accused of spreading false information about the election. In February, Smartmatic, another voting technology company, filed a $2.7 billion lawsuit against Fox News and several of its hosts, including Dobbs and Bartiromo.
The lawsuit alleged that Fox News spread false information about Smartmatic’s role in the election and falsely accused the company of being involved in a “conspiracy to steal the 2020 election.” Smartmatic’s lawsuit is still ongoing.
The Dominion lawsuit against Fox Corporation is likely to be closely watched by media companies and legal experts alike. It raises important questions about the role of the media in covering elections and the responsibility of media companies to report accurate information to the public.
For Dominion, the lawsuit is a chance to clear its name and restore its reputation after months of baseless accusations and conspiracy theories. For Fox News and its hosts, it represents a potential threat to their credibility and a reminder that spreading false information can have serious consequences.