Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch May Take the Stand in High-Profile Dominion vs. Fox News Lawsuit
Three Main Take-aways
On Wednesday, a Delaware judge announced his intention to require Fox Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch to provide live testimony during the trial set to begin later this month.
Dominion is also urging the judge to mandate in-person testimonies from former House Speaker and Fox board member Paul Ryan, as well as Fox's Chief Legal and Policy Officer, Viet Dinh.
High-profile Fox personalities, such as Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Maria Bartiromo, and Laura Ingraham, are expected to make live appearances in court.
Murdoch Brothers May Testify in Dominion Lawsuit
Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis has ruled that Dominion Voting Systems may call Fox Corp. executives Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch as witnesses in its $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News. This decision follows a letter submitted by Dominion's lawyers requesting permission to call the Murdoch brothers as live witnesses during the trial, which is set to begin later this month.
Judge Davis expressed willingness to compel the Murdochs to testify, provided they are issued a subpoena by Dominion's legal team. Dominion is suing Fox News for $1.6 billion over the network's alleged dissemination of false information about the company's software. This misinformation was also promoted by former President Trump's associates and allies following the election.
Inside Fox News: The Dominion Voter Systems Lawsuit
Documents from the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against Fox News have exposed the internal debate at the network regarding the false claims surrounding the 2020 election. The case has led to a series of revelations about Fox News and its employees.
Rupert Murdoch's Influence and Fox Employees' Private Mockery
Emails utilized by Dominion's lawyers in constructing their defamation case provide a glimpse into how Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch influences content across his news organizations. Furthermore, texts and emails disclosed during the lawsuit show that Fox employees privately mocked election fraud allegations made by Donald Trump, even while the network persisted in airing them to appease viewers.
Tucker Carlson's Private Contempt
Court documents have disclosed Fox host Tucker Carlson's private comments, which sharply contrast with his on-air support for Trump. Remarks, including instances where Tucker Carlson calls Trump demonic force, highlight a striking disconnect between Carlson's public persona and his genuine opinions of the former president.
New Lawsuits Emerge
In related legal actions, a Fox News producer has filed lawsuits in both New York and Delaware, accusing Fox lawyers of forcing her to provide misleading testimony in the Dominion case. As the defamation suit continues, the inner workings and conflicts within Fox News are gradually coming to light.
Judge Allows Defamation Suit to Proceed
Last week, Davis rejected Fox's latest attempt to dismiss the lawsuit, ruling that Dominion had proven the first key elements of their defamation claim: that the network's statements about Dominion and the 2020 election were false. Additionally, the judge determined that a jury would be needed to decide whether Fox acted with actual malice or reckless disregard for the truth – another crucial legal hurdle Dominion must clear to prove defamation.
Fox is defending itself on First Amendment grounds and has opposed the Murdochs' testimony at the trial. The network accuses Dominion of "cherry-picking" quotes from its executives and employees in an effort to embarrass Fox.
In depositions made public through recent court filings, Rupert Murdoch acknowledged that some top Fox hosts had "gone too far" in promoting Trump's unfounded claims about the election. He also referred to statements made by Trump's associates about Dominion during a post-election press conference as "terrible stuff damaging everybody, I fear."