Dominion Voting sues Fox for $1.6B over 2020 election claims

Discussion in 'Politics' started by Cuddles, Mar 26, 2021.

  1. Cuddles

    Cuddles

    https://apnews.com/article/joe-bide...ts-elections-912eea8e168f95d51dec02da78ac2760
    Dominion Voting sues Fox for $1.6B over 2020 election claims

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Dominion Voting Systems on Friday filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, arguing the cable news giant falsely claimed in an effort to boost faltering ratings that the voting company had rigged the 2020 election.

    It’s the first defamation suit filed against a media outlet by the voting company, which was a target of misleading, false and bizarre claims spread by President Donald Trump and his allies in the aftermath of Trump’s election loss to Joe Biden. Those claims helped spur on rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in a violent siege that left five people dead, including a police officer. The siege led to Trump’s historic second impeachment.

    Dominion argues that Fox News, which amplified inaccurate assertions that Dominion altered votes, “sold a false story of election fraud in order to serve its own commercial purposes, severely injuring Dominion in the process,” according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by The Associated Press.

    “The truth matters. Lies have consequences,” the lawsuit said. “Fox sold a false story of election fraud in order to serve its own commercial purposes, severely injuring Dominion in the process. If this case does not rise to the level of defamation by a broadcaster, then nothing does.”

    Some Fox News on-air reporting segments have debunked some of the claims targeting Dominion. An email sent to Fox News on Friday morning, seeking comment on the lawsuit, was not immediately returned.

    There was no widespread fraud in the 2020 election, a fact that a range of election officials across the country — and even Trump’s attorney general, William Barr — have confirmed. Republican governors in Arizona and Georgia, key battleground states crucial to Biden’s victory, also vouched for the integrity of the elections in their states. Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies were dismissed by judges, including two tossed by the Supreme Court, which has three Trump-nominated justices.

    Still, some Fox News employees elevated false charges that Dominion had changed votes through algorithms in its voting machines that had been created in Venezuela to rig elections for the late dictator Hugo Chavez. On-air personalities brought on Trump allies Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, who spread the claims, and then amplified those claims on Fox News’ massive social media platforms.

    Dominion said in the lawsuit that it tried repeatedly to set the record straight but was ignored by Fox News.

    The company argues that Fox News, a network that features several pro-Trump personalities, pushed the false claims to explain away the former president’s loss. The cable giant lost viewers after the election and was seen by some Trump supporters as not being supportive enough of the Republican.

    Attorneys for Dominion said Fox News’ behavior differs greatly from that of other media outlets that reported on the claims.

    “This was a conscious, knowing business decision to endorse and repeat and broadcast these lies in order to keep its viewership,” said attorney Justin Nelson, of Susman Godfrey.

    Though Dominion serves 28 states, until the 2020 election it had been largely unknown outside the election community. It is now widely targeted in conservative circles, seen by millions of people as one of the main villains in a fictional tale in which Democrats nationwide conspired to steal votes from Trump, the lawsuit said.

    Dominion’s employees, from its software engineers to its founder, have been harassed. Some received death threats. And the company has suffered “enormous and irreparable economic harm,” lawyers said.

    Dominion has also sued Giuliani, Powell and the CEO of Minnesota-based MyPillow over the claims. A rival technology company, Smartmatic USA, also sued Fox News over election claims. Unlike Dominion, Smartmatic’s participation in the 2020 election was restricted to Los Angeles County.

    Dominion lawyers said they have not yet filed lawsuits against specific media personalities at Fox News but the door remains open. Some at Fox News knew the claims were false but their comments were drowned out, lawyers said.

    “The buck stops with Fox on this,” attorney Stephen Shackelford said. “Fox chose to put this on all of its many platforms. They rebroadcast, republished it on social media and other places.”

    The suit was filed in Delaware, where both companies are incorporated, though Fox News is headquartered in New York and Dominion is based in Denver.
     
    destriero, userque, Ricter and 4 others like this.
  2. jem

    jem

    We need a better article or a copy of the lawsuit...


    "elevated" is not defamation in the current legal framework.



    Still, some Fox News employees elevated false charges that Dominion had changed votes through algorithms in its voting machines that had been created in Venezuela to rig elections for the late dictator Hugo Chavez. On-air personalities brought on Trump allies Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, who spread the claims, and then amplified those claims on Fox News’ massive social media platforms.



    Giuliani might be liable if they can prove defamation against him but to attach defamation to Fox based on what that article wrote... would require a big expansion of the law..

    I would think social media sites would be very concerned if Fox was found liable.


     
  3. Buy1Sell2

    Buy1Sell2

    Bookmarked
     
  4. Buy1Sell2

    Buy1Sell2

    What if it's shown to be true that voting machines were manipulated?
     
  5. gwb-trading

    gwb-trading

    A link to the lawsuit is directly found in the article. The direct url for the lawsuit is here -
    https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20527880-dominion-v-fox-news-complaint
     
    Ricter likes this.
  6. smallfil

    smallfil

    Exactly. Discovery is a two way street. Now, those sued by Dominion Voting Systems can seek access to the Dominion Voting Machines itself as well as their data showing how data can easily be manipulated. Of course, the defendants can now, counter sue Dominion Voting Systems for billions in damages as well. Everything presented in court will now become evidence and a permanent record made of it.
     
    Buy1Sell2 and elderado like this.
  7. Tony Stark

    Tony Stark

    From the idiot who thought the birther lawsuits would stop Obama from being President.
     
  8. destriero

    destriero

    lol discovery does not allow access to Dominion machines.
     
    UsualName and Cuddles like this.
  9. Buy1Sell2

    Buy1Sell2

    Yep. These are welcome events.
     
  10. Cuddles

    Cuddles

    These copecels will cling to anything that will legitimize their "stolen election" conspiracy bullshit
     
    #10     Mar 26, 2021
    destriero likes this.