Dominion Says Fox Settled Case for $787.5M

This story has been updated with new developments. The judge overseeing Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit against Fox announced Tuesday that the parties "have resolved their case" and dismissed the jury just as the trial was to begin. The announcement averts a prolonged trial in a case that exposed how the top-rated network chased viewers by spreading false claims about the 2020 presidential election, the AP reports. The sudden announcement came after jurors had been seated and attorneys were preparing to make opening statements for a trial that had been expected to last six weeks. Dominion, which filed the $1.6 billion lawsuit in 2021, said the case had been settled for $787.5 million.

"Fox has admitted to telling lies," Dominion CEO John Poulos said after the trial ended, per NBC News. Dominion's legal team didn't say whether the settlement will also include an apology from Fox, the New York Times reports. In a statement, Fox said it acknowledged "the court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false," adding: "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." (More Dominion Voting Systems stories.)