Dominion and Fox News settle massive defamation lawsuit, but pending Smartmatic lawsuit remains

It was announced on Wednesday that Dominion Voting Systems will drop its defamation suit against Fox News in exchange for an enormous $787.5 million settlement. Dominion claimed that the news network knowingly spread false claims about the efficacy of Dominion voting machines and their influence over the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. 

Fox News will, however, attempt to deduct the settlement from its income taxes. 

Depositions from the lawsuit provided insight into the inner workings of the network: that owner Rupert Murdoch knew Fox hosts were lying on-air about Donald Trump’s defeat, that primetime giant and Trump-backer Tucker Carlson actually despises the former president and that top executives attempted to prevent “Stop the Steal” rhetoric from airing. 

“This has to stop now… This is bad business, and there clearly is a lack of understanding what is happening on these shows. The audience is furious and we are just feeding them material. Bad for business,” wrote Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott in a December 2020 email to executive vice president Meade Cooper.

However, the Rupert Murdoch-owned entity must still reckon with another lawsuit from Smartmatic, an electronic voting systems company. The firm is suing Fox News, Fox host Maria Bartiromo, the former anchor Lou Dobbs and Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani for broadcasting an assortment of defamatory claims — including that the Smartmatic was actually part of a conspiracy formulated by deceased Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. They are seeking $2.7 billion in damages. 

Smartmatic brought similar suits against One America News Network, Newsmax and MyPillow-owner-turned-conspiracist Mike Lindell.