Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems Face Off in Court: Will Fox Be Held Accountable for False Statements?

Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News have been engaged in a legal battle, with Dominion accusing Fox of wanting a “license to knowingly spread lies” and Fox claiming the lawsuit is an “unprecedented assault on the First Amendment.” The case is set to be heard by a Delaware state judge in two weeks, where Dominion is asking the judge to decide the case in their favor because Fox has already conceded that its on-air statements about Dominion rigging the 2020 election were false.

In early January 2021, Fox News hosts and executives were ready to move on from then-President Donald Trump and his insistence that the election was stolen. Lou Dobbs texted a producer on his show that “we are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights,” and Tucker Carlson wrote in a text to an unidentified person that “we are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights.”

Dominion is suing Fox for defamation, claiming that Fox’s false statements about the company caused it to suffer reputational and economic harm. Fox has argued that its statements were protected by the First Amendment and that it did not act with “actual malice.” Most legal experts expect that the case will ultimately proceed to trial before a jury in mid-April.

The legal battle between Dominion and Fox News is a high-stakes case that could have far-reaching implications for the media industry. The outcome of the case will determine whether Fox News will be held accountable for its false statements about Dominion, or whether it will be granted a “license to knowingly spread lies.” The hearing in two weeks will be a crucial step in determining the outcome of the case.