An apparent settlement has been reached in Dominion Voting Systems' $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News. Just before opening statements, and shortly after jury selection concluded, what was set to be one of the most important trials in the history of First Amendment law was suddenly called off Tuesday.
"The parties have resolved this case," Judge Eric Davis told jurors. "Without you, the parties would not have been able to resolve their situation … although it's short, not the six weeks you've expected, you have done your duty," Davis said. "The case has been resolved."
The last-minute settlement, reportedly for $787.5 million, averts what would have been a lengthy trial that likely would have seen prominent Fox News hosts like Sean Hannity on the witness stand along with Rupert Murdoch.
The network is still facing a $2.7 billion lawsuit from Smartmatic, another voting software and hardware company that alleges Fox News defamed it with false allegations in support of Donald Trump's Big Lie following his 2020 election loss.
In a statement, Fox News said it was "pleased to have reached a settlement of our dispute with Dominion Voting Systems" to avoid "the acrimony of a divisive trial." The settlement, the network said, "allows the country to move forward from these issues."
For their part, Dominion celebrated the settlement as a victory for honesty in reporting.
"The truth matters, lies have consequences," Dominion lawyer Justin Nelson said. "Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion that caused enormous damage to my company, our employees, and the customers that we serve," added Dominion's CEO John Poulos.
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