Fox lawsuit docs show Murdoch acknowledged several hosts backed Trump's fraud claims
(The Hill) –
Lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems, which is suing Murdoch and
"In fact, you are now aware that Fox endorsed at times this false notion of a stolen election?" one of Dominion's lawyers asked Murdoch during his deposition, the court filing shows.
"Not Fox, No. Not Fox. But maybe
"Some of our commentators were endorsing it," the media tycoon replied when pressed again if the hosts endorsed Trump's claims of a fraudulent election. "Yes. They endorsed."
The filing made Monday by Dominion is the latest chapter in a blockbuster lawsuit in which the voting systems company argues top brass at Fox, including its top hosts and executives, defamed it by airing false claims peddled by Trump and his associates in the weeks following the 2020 election.
Fox has so far unsuccessfully moved to have the case dismissed on First Amendment grounds, and in a filing of its own on Monday argued it was simply airing newsworthy comments made by the president and his top associates. By Dominion's standard for defamation, Fox's lawyers argued in their filing, the company could sue virtually every media company in the country for reporting on Trump's claims.
"Dominion's lawsuit has always been more about what will generate headlines than what can withstand legal and factual scrutiny, as illustrated by them now being forced to slash their fanciful damages demand by more than half a billion dollars after their own expert debunked its implausible claims," the network said in a statement on Monday evening.
"Their summary judgment motion took an extreme, unsupported view of defamation law that would prevent journalists from basic reporting and their efforts to publicly smear
Last week, Dominion made a separate court filing containing pages of text messages, emails and testimony that outlined how top Fox executives and hosts cast doubt on Trump's claims, and worrying about how fact-checking his statements on the air might be received by the conservative media outlet's audience.
Among them were top host
On
A jury trial in the case is expected to begin in April.
Why the $2.04B Powerball jackpot winner would have done better taking the annuity
Former Cleveland, Tennessee, church manager pleads guilty to $1.5 million fraud
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News