(Republicaninformer.com)- This week, Fox Corp Chairman Rupert Murdoch was deposed in the defamation lawsuit brought against the Fox News Channel by Dominion Voting Systems.
Dominion is seeking $1.6 billion in damages from Fox News claiming the cable news giant spread false claims that its voting machines were used to rig the 2020 presidential election in favor of Joe Biden.
Fox News maintains that Dominion’s lawsuit would stifle press freedom, arguing that the network had the right to report on Trump’s and his allies’ claims of vote manipulation.
In December 2021, a judge rejected Fox’s bid to dismiss the case.
Dominion’s lawsuit against Fox News is part of a series of legal campaigns by the company against Fox and other conservative outlets and commentators whom they claimed accused Dominion of conspiring to oust Trump in 2020.
During his deposition on Tuesday and Wednesday, Murdoch was questioned via videoconference by lawyers for Dominion.
In addition to deposing Murdoch, Dominion has also requested communications from Murdoch, his son Lachlan Murdoch, and other Fox News personnel as it hunts for proof that the cable network either knew the aired statements were false or recklessly disregarded their accuracy. This is necessary to win the case as Dominion must be able to establish the “actual malice” standard required when suing public figures for defamation.
Defamation lawyer Doug Mirell told Reuters that Dominion likely has an “air-tight” case for proving actual malice since Fox hosts pressed on with vote-rigging allegations “well after it was quite clear that these claims were demonstrably false.”
In its March 2021 lawsuit, Dominion alleged that Fox News amplified the false claims as a way to boost its ratings and compete against its far-right competitors including One America News Network, which is also being sued by Dominion.
In their complaint against Fox, Dominion cited instances after the 2020 presidential election where Trump allies like Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani appeared on Fox News to falsely claim Dominion’s software may have manipulated vote counts to benefit Joe Biden.
