April 18 (UPI) — A $787.5 million settlement has been reached in Dominion Voting System’s defamation lawsuit against Fox News just as the trial was scheduled to start this week.
According to Dominion, the two sides reached a settlement agreement soon before opening statements were to begin today.
“Fox has admitted to telling lies,” Dominion Chief Executive Officer John Poulos told reporters Tuesday afternoon.
Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis announced the settlement in court Tuesday, telling the jury, “The parties have resolved their case.”
“Your presence here … was extremely important. And without you, the parties would not have been able to resolve their situation,” Davis told the jurors before he dismissed them.
The trial was scheduled to start Monday and was delayed through Tuesday morning, before the judge returned to announce Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems had settled their case at the last second Tuesday afternoon.
“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,” Fox News Media said in its statement Tuesday.
“This settlement reflects Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards. We are hopeful that our decision to resolve this dispute with Dominion amicably, instead of the acrimony of a divisive trial, allows the country to move forward from these issues.”
Dominion filed the defamation lawsuit against Fox News parent company Fox Corporation two years ago, after the network said Dominion’s voting systems manipulated the 2020 election results.
In the lawsuit, Dominion said its reputation was damaged after Fox News tied the voting systems company to a “rigged” presidential election.
“Fox sold a false story of election fraud in order to serve its own commercial purposes, severely injuring Dominion in the process,” the lawsuit stated.
Before leaving the courtroom Tuesday, the judge thanked all parties involved.
“I have been on the bench since 2010… I think this is the best lawyering I’ve had, ever,” Davis said. “I would be proud to be your judge in the future.”
