Fox to hand over documents for 2nd voting machine lawsuit

Apr 26, 2023, 12:38 PM | Updated: 4:44 pm

FILE - A Smartmatic representative demonstrates his company's system which has scanners and touch s...

FILE - A Smartmatic representative demonstrates his company's system which has scanners and touch screens with printout options, at a meeting of the Secure, Accessible & Fair Elections Commission on Aug. 30, 2018, in Grovetown, Ga. Fox News agreed Wednesday, April 26, 2023, to hand over reams of documents produced during the just-settled defamation lawsuit between Dominion Voting Machines to another voting technology firm, Smartmatic, which in a $2.7 billion suit accuses the cable news giant of damaging its reputation because of the network’s promotion of lies about the 2020 election. (Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News agreed Wednesday to hand over thousands of documents to voting machine company Smartmatic, which is suing the network for defamation in a case similar to Dominion Voting Machines’ just-settled lawsuit.

Smartmatic says Fox bears financial responsibility for airing false allegations that the company rigged the 2020 presidential election against former President Donald Trump.

Last week, Fox agreed to pay Dominion nearly $800 million to avert a trial, although the ultimate cost to the media company is likely to be much lower.

Smartmatic wants a $2.7 billion judgment, which far exceeds the $1.6 billion Dominion sought in its suit. No date has been set, and the case might not go to court for a couple of years.

Smartmatic said in court filings that Fox “slow-rolled its production” of transcripts and other material that were created during the Dominion suit, and that Smartmatic had received just a small fraction of the more than 52,000 documents it requested as part of the discovery process.

Among the documents Smartmatic hopes will bolster its case are deposition transcripts for Fox founder Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan Murdoch, as well as documents related to company executive Raj Shah and lawyer Viet Dinh.

In a statement, Fox News said it was ready to defend itself in “this case surrounding extremely newsworthy events.”

“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,” the network said.

The Dominion case pulled back the curtain on how Fox and its on-air personalities — including Sean Hannity, Jeanine Pirro, Maria Bartiromo and now-fired Tucker Carlson — promoted conspiracy theories and Trump’s baseless effort to overturn the election.

The network suffered an array of embarrassing revelations from emails that showed Fox executives and personalities saying they knew the accusations were untrue, even as the falsehoods were aired on programs.

Because Florida-based Smartmatic’s machines were only used in Los Angeles during the 2020 election, the company had little influence on the presidential race. Still, Fox’s on-air personalities sometimes conflated Dominion and Smartmatic.

Smartmatic’s lawyer, Erik Connolly, has said the Dominion case “exposed some of the misconduct and damage caused by Fox’s disinformation campaign. Smartmatic will expose the rest.”

United States News

Seen is the damage from a collapsed apartment building, Monday, June 5, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. T...

Associated Press

Cracked floors, bowed walls: Many warnings but no action at Iowa building before deadly collapse

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — So many people knew something wasn’t right at the 116-year-old Davenport apartment building. The structural engineer who documented the shaky wall. The head of a masonry company who wouldn’t let his workers onto the site. The city inspector who threatened to close some units. A downtown official who called 911 […]

23 hours ago

One of several cameras set up to capture live debate in the chamber of the Nebraska Legislature is ...

Associated Press

Nebraska Legislature as reality TV, featuring filibuster and culture war drama

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Mention televised legislative debates, and what may come to mind are stuffy, policy-wonk discussions broadcast by C-SPAN. This year’s Nebraska Legislature was more like a reality TV show, with culture-war rhetoric, open hostility among lawmakers, name-calling, yelling and more. Many Nebraskans couldn’t get enough of it. “It was addictive,” said Jamie […]

23 hours ago

Drag performer Neon Calypso, center, sings and dances to Tina Turner's version of the song "Proud M...

Associated Press

Pride is back in Boston as parade returns after quarrel over inclusivity

BOSTON (AP) — The biggest Pride parade in New England returns to Boston after a three-year hiatus Saturday, with a fresh focus on social justice and inclusion rather than corporate backing. About 10,000 marchers signed up before registration was shut down, according to organizers. Employee groups are welcome to march, but corporations aren’t. “We really […]

23 hours ago

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., leaves his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday,...

Associated Press

Trump’s GOP defenders in Congress leap into action on charges after months of preparation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s indictment on charges of mishandling classified documents is set to play out in a federal court in Florida. But hundred of miles away, part of Trump’s defense is well underway in a different venue — the halls of Congress, where Republicans have been preparing for months to wage […]

23 hours ago

FILE - Sen. Rodger Smitherman compares U.S. Representative district maps during the special session...

Associated Press

New voting districts could change again in some states before the 2024 elections

The 2022 elections marked the first using new voting districts drawn from updated census data. Those districts typically last for a decade, but they could be short-lived in some states. Court challenges could force lawmakers or special commissions to draw yet another set of maps before the 2024 elections for representatives in Congress and state […]

23 hours ago

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House, early Nov. 4, 2020, in Wa...

Associated Press

Trump set for first public appearances since federal indictment, speaking in Georgia, North Carolina

ATLANTA (AP) — since his federal indictment, speaking on Saturday to friendly Republican audiences in Georgia and North Carolina as he seeks to rally supporters to his defense. Trump, who remains the front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination despite his mounting legal woes, is expected to use his scheduled speeches at state party conventions in […]

23 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

SANDERSON FORD

Thank you to Al McCoy for 51 years as voice of the Phoenix Suns

Sanderson Ford wants to share its thanks to Al McCoy for the impact he made in the Valley for more than a half-decade.

(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...

Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.

Fox to hand over documents for 2nd voting machine lawsuit