Fox News vs. Dominion: Skeptical Judge Grills Fox News Lawyer as Lawsuit Finally Heads to Court

Fox News is facing a massive scandal after Dominion Voting Systems revealed that Fox News hosts knowingly spread false information about the 2020 presidential elections. The voting company's 1.6-billion-dollar lawsuit against the conservative network was finally heard in court.

According to the Associated Press, this case "holds the potential for redefining libel law in the U.S." Usually, media companies hold the advantage in defamation lawsuits as it is up to the plaintiffs to show evidence that they were deliberately defamed. However, after Dominion got hold of private text messages from Fox News hosts and executives, the tables were turned as it was revealed that the conservative network knowingly misled its audience.

Fox News Vs. Dominion Voting Systems Trial Kicks Off

The high-stakes hearing kicked off with Dominion attorney Rodney Smolla, who said that Fox News deliberately decided to broadcast false information that Dominion Voting Systems helped rig the elections in favor of Joe Biden, all while knowing that Biden fairly won the election and Donald Trump lost.

He added that Fox News was desperate to win back viewers infuriated that the network had correctly called Arizona, a key battleground state. "What they did to get viewers back was start this new narrative that the election had been stolen and that Dominion was the thief," the lawyer stated.

However, according to NBC News, Fox News lawyer Erin Murphy contended that her client was only reporting on newsworthy allegations, saying, "We never reported those to be true, all we ever did was provide viewers the true fact that these were allegations that were being made."

Text Messages between Fox News hosts like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity have shown that they did not personally believe what they were saying on air. The private messages also showed that they had contempt for their viewers, whom they thought would believe anything they said on air.

Delaware Judge Grills Fox News Lawyer About Client Being Neutral

Fox News is facing a rather skeptical judge as the case is being heard in Wilmington, Delaware. Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis asked several key questions to a Fox Corp. lawyer about its defense against Dominion's assertion that the network knew that allegations by former President Donald Trump and his lawyers of vote-rigging in the 2020 U.S. election were false.

According to Reuters, Fox's lawyers invoked the legal doctrine of "neutral reportage." It is a doctrine that holds that the press cannot be held liable for neutrally publishing newsworthy allegations. However, Judge Davis pointed out that there was tension between Fox's defense that they had no "actual malice" in their reporting and invoking "neutral reportage."

"To me, it doesn't seem intellectually honest that you apply actual malice and say there's neutral reporting privilege," said the judge. "How can you be neutral if you're knowingly doing false things?"

The judge then asked Fox about Lou Dobbs tweeting pro-Trump hashtags like #DominionVoterFraud in his Twitter posts being neutral. "You're saying he's a neutral reporter?" Judge Davis asked Fox Corp. lawyers.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Fox News producer alleges network coerced her into giving misleading testimony in Dominion suit - NBC News