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Justin Nelson, an attorney for Dominion, celebrated the team's settlement on April 18 in the defamation case against Fox News. (Video: Reuters)

Dominion v. Fox News trial abruptly canceled after settlement reached

Updated April 18, 2023 at 9:22 p.m. EDT|Published April 18, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. EDT
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Key updates
End of an embarrassing chapter for Fox News
$787.5 million defamation settlement is among the highest ever
Dominion says Fox ‘has admitted to telling lies’
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WILMINGTON, Del. — Fox News agreed to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems on Tuesday for $787.5 million, according to an attorney for the voting technology company — a stunning conclusion to one of the most highly-anticipated media trials in decades.  
End of an embarrassing chapter for Fox News
$787.5 million defamation settlement is among the highest ever
Dominion says Fox ‘has admitted to telling lies’

Here’s what to know

  • The settlement amount could be one of the largest ever in a defamation case, and it amounts to almost one-fifth of the company’s cash on hand.
  • A Dominion spokeswoman noted Fox’s “historic settlement” and the company’s acknowledgment “that the statements about Dominion were false.” She added, “An apology is about accountability, and today Dominion held Fox accountable.” ”
  • Fox said it was “pleased” to have settled the case and acknowledged some errors in its reporting. “We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false,” the company said in a statement, adding that the settlement “reflects FOX’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards.” Fox News still faces a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit from Smartmatic.
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The settlement amount could be one of the largest ever in a defamation case, and it amounts to almost one-fifth of the company’s cash on hand.
A Dominion spokeswoman noted Fox’s “historic settlement” and the company’s acknowledgment “that the statements about Dominion were false.” She added, “An apology is about accountability, and today Dominion held Fox accountable.” ”
Fox said it was “pleased” to have settled the case and acknowledged some errors in its reporting. “We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false,” the company said in a statement, adding that the settlement “reflects FOX’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards.” Fox News still faces a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit from Smartmatic.

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Dominion v. Fox lawsuit

Fox News agreed to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems for $780 million, canceling a highly-anticipated trial just hours after jury selection was completed. Here are four takeaways from the settlement.

Dominion’s lawsuit: The voting technology company filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, alleging that the networks’ guests and hosts defamed the company by connecting it to a fictitious plot to steal the 2020 presidential election from Donald Trump. Here’s what to know about the lawsuit.

What Fox News’s major players said in private: Internal emails and text messages released as part of the lawsuit reveal that many program hosts and company executives disbelieved the claims of election fraud that their network was airing. But some at Fox were concerned that Trump-supporting viewers would move to other channels if Fox journalists contradicted the false claims. Here’s a look at what Tucker Carlson said about Trump in private texts vs. what he told his viewers.

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