The judge overseeing the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News has issued a one-day delay on the start of the trial to Tuesday, raising the possibility of a settlement between the cable news network and the company that designs voting machines for federal elections.
“The Court has decided to continue the start of the trial, including jury selection, until Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. I will make such an announcement tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. in Courtroom 7E,” Judge Eric Davis said in a statement on Sunday.
Dominion has sued Fox News and its parent company Fox Corp for defamation after the network repeatedly claimed that Dominion’s voting machines were used to rig the 2020 presidential election in favor of Joe Biden.
In pre-trial hearings, Dominion’s attorneys argue that misinformation about its voting machines broadcast on Fox News is the reason why officials in some counties in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Tennessee have terminated their contracts with the company while counties in six other states, including Iowa, Kansas and Missouri, have opted against renewing.
A report submitted by Dominion estimates that the company lost $16 million in profits from those terminated and unrenewed contracts along with an additional $72 million in lost opportunities.
Court documents have shown that multiple Fox hosts and executives, including chairman Rupert Murdoch, said in private conversations and online exchanges that they did not believe in the conspiracy theories surrounding Dominion, but continued to air them in an effort to attract viewers.
Fox’s attorneys have argued that its network’s reporting on the Dominion voting machines was newsworthy as former president Donald Trump and other Republicans were publicly speaking on them to contest the results of the 2020 election. They have also argued that Dominion remains in a strong financial position despite the conspiracy theories.
“This case is and always has been about the First Amendment protections of the media’s absolute right to cover the news. FOX will continue to fiercely advocate for the rights of free speech and a free press as we move into the next phase of these proceedings,” Fox said in a statement on March 31.
TheWrap has reached out to Fox for further comment.
