Fox Agrees to Hand Over Murdoch Docs to Smartmatic
Fox News has agreed to release documents related to parent company Chairman Rupert Murdoch to Smartmatic, a voting technology company that has filed a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox based on allegations concerning the 2020 presidential election.
"We will produce the materials as quickly as we are able to," Winn Allen, a lawyer for Fox News, said in court on Wednesday, CNN reported.
A Smartmatic lawyer said the documents have to do with Murdoch's deposition from the recently settled lawsuit involving Fox and Dominion Voting Systems, as well as exhibits and documents involving Murdoch's son Lachlan and other Fox News executives, according to CNN.
In February 2021, Smartmatic filed its suit against Fox News seeking $2.7 billion in damages for claims the network allegedly made about the company's voting systems during the 2020 election. In its complaint, Smartmatic, whose machines were used in only one county that year, said, "Fox joined the conspiracy to defame and disparage Smartmatic and its election technology and software."
In a statement, a Fox News spokesperson told Newsweek, "We will be ready to defend this case surrounding extremely newsworthy events when it goes to trial, likely in 2025. As a report prepared by our financial expert shows, Smartmatic's damages claims are implausible, disconnected from reality, and on its face intended to chill First Amendment freedoms."
Last week, a settlement was announced in the case involving Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems. The latter had sued the network over claims made on-air by anchors that the 2020 election was stolen and that Dominion's technology helped flip votes in President Joe Biden's favor.
Just before the trial's opening statements were made, Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis announced in court that the "case has been resolved." The settlement terms required Fox News to pay $787.5 million to Dominion.
Fox News said in a statement afterward: "We are pleased to have reached a settlement of our dispute with Dominion Voting Systems. We acknowledge the Court's rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false. This settlement reflects FOX's continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards."
John Poulos, the CEO of Dominion, said the settlement showed that "Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion that caused enormous damage to my Company, our employees, and our customers."
On April 18, Erik Connolly, a lawyer for Smartmatic, issued a statement saying, "Dominion's litigation exposed some of the misconduct and damage caused by Fox's disinformation campaign. Smartmatic will expose the rest."
The statement added, "Smartmatic remains committed to clearing its name, recouping the significant damage done to the company, and holding Fox accountable for undermining democracy."
