Fox News settles Dominion lawsuit – live: Network avoids painful trial over 2020 election lies with $787m deal

A bombshell $787.5m settlement was reached on Tuesday in the defamation trial between Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News, avoiding a painful trial for the right-wing network, owner Rupert Murdoch and some of its top hosts.

Dominion lawyer Justin Nelson announced the settlement outside court, saying: “The truth matters, lies have consequences.”

Despite acknowledging the Delaware court found some of its election reporting to be false, Fox News stopped short of formally apologising.

Its parent company Fox Corporation acknowledged the $787.5m settlement figure for the first time in an SEC filing on Wednesday.

The trial had been due to begin on Monday, but the start was delayed for more than a day as attorneys for both parties engaged in last-minute negotiations.

Mediator Jerry Roscoe told CNN he helped negotiate the deal after receiving an urgent call while on holiday in Europe on Sunday.

The lead attorneys had been “really far apart” on a settlement figure, before the deal was thrashed out over Zoom and on phone calls, he said.

The settlement allowed the network’s anchors including Sean Hannity to avoid having to testify in the most high-profile media trial of the decade.

Key points

• Fox News and Dominion settle defamation case

• Dominion CEO: An ‘historic settlement'

• Fox News acknowledges $787.5m settlement for first time

• ‘We’re not done yet’

• Judge sanctions Fox News over trial disclosures

• Fox News $787m payment in Dominion case is largest media settlement in US history

Trump’s election lies cost Fox $787m – will they also cost him the White House in 2024?

04:00 , Bevan Hurley

The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg writes:

For a good portion of the network’s quarter-century on the air, Fox News went by the mantra of “we report, you decide”.

But after the network wholeheartedly embraced Donald Trump in 2016, the reporting became optional because their viewers had already decided.

They decided to believe whatever Trump told them. And when they heard something that contradicted that, they looked elsewhere for more comforting lies.

Two years later, Fox’s audience has remained loyal to Trump, but the twice-impeached ex-president’s lies are still exacting a cost.

Some of that cost may yet to be extracted from Fox’s bottom line.

Another voting machine manufacturer, Smartmatic, still has a multi-billion dollar lawsuit pending against Fox for many of the same lies that pushed Rupert Murdoch and his organisation to offer more than three-quarters of a billion dollars to get Dominion to drop their case.

But it may be Mr Trump who ultimately pays the highest price.

Trump’s election lies cost Fox $787m – will they also cost him 2024?

Fox News finally covers the Dominion trial, fails to mention how much they’re paying to make it go away

03:00 , Bevan Hurley

Fox News has had very little to say about Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6bn defamation lawsuit for nearly the entirety of its existence, but finally deemed the story worth covering on Tuesday when it announced the parties had settled.

In Fox News’ story — which comes in at 256 words, approximately 70 of which are a block quote from a Fox spokesman— we do not learn why the company was sued, just that it was broadly sued for defamation. We also do not learn how much it cost the network to make the trial go away.

(It was $787.5m, in case you missed it.)

Graig Graziosi has the story.

Fox News finally covers the Dominion trial, and it is embarrassing

Murdoch’s mega Fox payout shows there’s one thing you can’t afford to mess with…

02:00 , Bevan Hurley

The Independent’s Sean O’Grady writes:

“The truth matters. Lies have consequences”. The lawyer for Dominion Voting Systems put it better than any of Rupert Murdoch’s mercenary army of journalists ever would; or, indeed ever be permitted attempt to do so (the sensational story doesn’t figure much on his channels or in his titles). And it is about time that someone, somewhere, decided “enough already with the fake news”.

Without wishing to come over as sanctimonious – we journalists are all of us flawed – the humiliation of Fox News at the hands of Dominion, a hitherto obscure election machinery company, is a victory for truth.

It’s not as simple as that – because no defamation case of this magnitude can be – but the world is now just a little better off, a little safer, a little more protected from the abuse of media power than it was before Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News decided to cave in to Dominion.

The Fox payout shows there’s one thing you can’t afford to mess with…

Trump remains silent on Fox’s Dominion lawsuit settlement

01:30 , Bevan Hurley

Former president Donald Trump’s social media output in the hours since Fox News reached a $787m settlement with Dominion Voting Systems has included numerous posts promoting a series of digital trading cards he is selling, attacks on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and bizarre complaints about Elon Musk and alleged censorship on Twitter (where Mr Trump’s account has gone unused since it was restored earlier this year).

But Mr Trump has not weighed in on Fox’s decision to offer more than three-quarters of a billion dollars to Dominion rather than allow a Delaware jury to determine how much the right-wing network should pay for broadcasting repeated lies about the company’s products rather than report the truth because it was upsetting their audience.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Trump remains silent on Fox’s Dominion lawsuit settlement

The veteran mediator who negotiated the Fox-Dominion settlement

01:00 , Bevan Hurley

CNN has a new behind-the-scenes account of how the historic $787.5m settlement between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems came about.

Litigator Jerry Roscoe told the network he took an urgent call while on a European river cruise celebrating his 70th birthday on Sunday asking if he would mediate a deal between the two parties.

The lead attorneys had been “really far apart” on a settlement figure, Mr Roscoe said.

But after an intensive 24-hour period of “shuttle diplomacy” involving phone calls and Zoom meetings, Mr Roscoe had negotiated the largest known defamation payout against a media organisation in US history.

According to a business profile, Mr Roscoe has over 30 years experience resolving complex commercial, healthcare, employment, and environmental disputes.

Everyone who is being sued by Dominion over election lies

00:30 , Bevan Hurley

Dominion Voting Systems agreed to settle its defamation lawsuit with Fox News for $787.5m on Tuesday — but its legal battles are far from over.

While the Fox News case attracted most of the headlines, Dominion filed a swathe of defamation suits against right-wing networks, lawyers and media personalities in the months after the 2020 election.

Here’s everyone who is being sued by Dominion.

Fox News has settled with Dominion, but the network has many other legal problems

How the almost-trial of Dominion v Fox exploded into a Succession-worthy finale

00:00 , Bevan Hurley

Mountains of evidence boxes were wheeled into a seventh-floor courtroom on Tuesday morning, moments before lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems planned to eviscerate Fox News and its Fox Corporation leadership for the volley of false claims about the company in the aftermath of the 2020 election.

Later that morning, jurors were sworn in. They ordered lunch. Hours later, it was over. And Fox News admitted that statements on its airwaves about Dominion were false, agreeing to pay the voting machine company more than $787m in a settlement that averted one of the biggest-ever defamation trials in American history.

Alex Woodward on the made-for-TV courtroom drama that would never be televised.

The Succession-worthy finale of the Dominion v Fox nearly-trial

Don’t be disappointed by the Fox News vs Dominion outcome – this is just the start

23:30 , Bevan Hurley

Noah Berlatsky writes for The Independent:

To the general disappointment of progressive observers, Fox settled its lawsuit with Dominion voting systems just before the trial’s opening arguments were slated to begin.

I, along with plenty of others, had been hoping for a full trial. We wanted to see Fox anchors like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity testify in open court under oath that they had lied to their viewers about the election, insisting that the vote was rigged against Donald Trump when they knew it was not.

Fox was desperate to avoid that, and with a $787.5 million settlement – the biggest libel payout in American history – they did.

A long trial underlining the perfidy and recklessness of right-wing media would have been a healthy outcome for democracy, and could have even undermined Fox’s reputation with some of its fanbase.

But it’s important to acknowledge that the lawsuit does provide some accountability, and, just as important, it makes future coup attempts or assaults on democracy more difficult. We know from discovery that Fox carefully weighed incentives and financial consequences before pushing election lies. This payout changes those incentives for the future. That’s a good thing.

Don’t be disappointed by the Fox v Dominion outcome – this is just the start | Voices

Stephen Colbert shares frustration at Fox-Dominion settlement: ‘Damn it! I want my trial!’

23:00 , Bevan Hurley

Stephen Colbert could barely contain his laughter as he discussed the news that Fox News has settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion for $787.5m.

“Damnit! I want my trial! I want it!” he shouted. “I wanted to see Rupert Murdoch put his hand on the Bible and burst into flames.

“I guess it’s satisfying for Dominion that Rup-y had to fork over a pile of cash, but that does nothing for our democracy.”

Isobel Lewis has the full story.

Stephen Colbert shares frustration at Fox-Dominion settlement

The Dominion lawsuit is far from Fox News’s only legal headache

22:30 , Bevan Hurley

Fox News declared it was “pleased” to have paid out $787.5m to Dominion Voting Systems and avoided a grueling six-week courtroom examination of its shoddy journalistic practices.

Yet the measured celebration in Fox’s statement after paying out the second largest defamation award in US history may be short-lived.

The thousands of emails, texts and private documents unearthed during Dominion’s discovery process have pried open Fox’s internal decision-making process, and the willingness of its anchors and executives to lie for the sake of ratings, like never before.

Fox News has settled with Dominion, but the network has many other legal problems

Fox News acknowledges $787.5m settlement for first time

22:15 , Bevan Hurley

In a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday, Fox Corporation has acknowledged for the first time the massive $787.5m settlement payout to Dominion Voting Systems.

The filing included a statement issued by Fox after the last-minute deal was reached on Tuesday, and was signed by the public company’s chief legal and policy officer Viet Dinh.

Matthew Gertz, a senior fellow at Media Matters, noted on Twitter that Fox Corporation had previously said in an SEC quarterly filing in February that it did not anticipate that the Dominion defamation lawsuit “will have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.”

Jake Tapper struggles to keep a straight face as he reads Fox reaction to Dominion victory

22:00 , Bevan Hurley

CNN anchor Jake Tapper couldn’t help but chuckle on Tuesday as he announced the news that Fox News averted a bruising defamation trial over false election claims by paying a $787.5m (£633m) settlement to voting machine manufacturer Dominion Voting Systems.

The host hesitated multiple times as he read a statement from Fox News, which framed the settlement as a sign of “Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards” and a move which “allows the country to move forward from these issues.”

Tapper, for his part, told viewers the settlement “can only be interpreted as one of the ugliest and most embarrassing moments in the history of journalism”.

CNN’s Jake Tapper laughs as he reads Fox reaction to Dominion settlement

Tucker Carlson laughs at people being laid off in Elon Musk interview

21:44 , Bevan Hurley

Fox News host Tucker Carlson cracked a smile as he listened to Elon Musk describe slashing 80 per cent of Twitter’s employees after taking over.

“Turns out you don’t need all that many people to run Twitter,” Mr Musk said. “If you’re not trying to run some kind of glorified activist organisation, and you’re not caring that much about censorship, you can really let go of a lot of people it turns out.”

Josh Marcus has the full story.

Tucker Carlson laughs at people being laid off in Elon Musk interview

Everyone who is being sued by Dominion over election lies

21:30 , Bevan Hurley

Dominion Voting Systems agreed to settle its defamation lawsuit with Fox News for $787.5m on Tuesday — but its legal battles are far from over.

While the Fox News case attracted most of the headlines, Dominion filed a swathe of defamation suits against right-wing networks, lawyers and media personalities in the months after the 2020 election.

Here’s everyone who is being sued by Dominion.

From Rudy Giuliani to Newsmax, everyone Dominion is suing for election lies

How the almost-trial of Dominion v Fox exploded into a Succession-worthy finale

21:00 , Bevan Hurley

Mountains of evidence boxes were wheeled into a seventh-floor courtroom on Tuesday morning, moments before lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems planned to eviscerate Fox News and its Fox Corporation leadership for the volley of false claims about the company in the aftermath of the 2020 election.

Later that morning, jurors were sworn in. They ordered lunch. Hours later, it was over. And Fox News admitted that statements on its airwaves about Dominion were false, agreeing to pay the voting machine company more than $787m in a settlement that averted one of the biggest-ever defamation trials in American history.

Alex Woodward on the made-for-TV courtroom drama that would never be televised.

The Succession-worthy finale of the Dominion v Fox nearly-trial

How the front pages covered the Fox News settlement

20:45 , Bevan Hurley

The $787.5m defamation payout by Fox News was above the fold on the front pages of the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.

Murdoch’s mega Fox payout shows there’s one thing you can’t afford to mess with…

20:30 , Bevan Hurley

The Independent’s Sean O’Grady writes:

“The truth matters. Lies have consequences”. The lawyer for Dominion Voting Systems put it better than any of Rupert Murdoch’s mercenary army of journalists ever would; or, indeed ever be permitted attempt to do so (the sensational story doesn’t figure much on his channels or in his titles). And it is about time that someone, somewhere, decided “enough already with the fake news”.

Without wishing to come over as sanctimonious – we journalists are all of us flawed – the humiliation of Fox News at the hands of Dominion, a hitherto obscure election machinery company, is a victory for truth.

It’s not as simple as that – because no defamation case of this magnitude can be – but the world is now just a little better off, a little safer, a little more protected from the abuse of media power than it was before Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News decided to cave in to Dominion.

The Fox payout shows there’s one thing you can’t afford to mess with…

The veteran mediator who negotiated the Fox-Dominion settlement

20:24 , Bevan Hurley

CNN has a new behind-the-scenes account of how the historic $787.5m settlement between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems came about.

Litigator Jerry Roscoe told the network he took an urgent call while on a European river cruise celebrating his 70th birthday on Sunday asking if he would mediate a deal between the two parties.

The lead attorneys had been “really far apart” on a settlement figure, Mr Roscoe said.

But after an intensive 24-hour period of “shuttle diplomacy” involving phone calls and Zoom meetings, Mr Roscoe had negotiated the largest known defamation payout against a media organisation in US history.

According to a business profile, Mr Roscoe has over 30 years experience resolving complex commercial, healthcare, employment, and environmental disputes.

The Dominion lawsuit is far from Fox News’s only legal headache

20:00 , Bevan Hurley

Fox News declared it was “pleased” to have paid out $787.5m to Dominion Voting Systems and avoided a grueling six-week courtroom examination of its shoddy journalistic practices.

Yet the measured celebration in Fox’s statement after paying out the second largest defamation award in US history may be short-lived.

However, the thousands of emails, texts and private documents unearthed during Dominion’s discovery process have pried open Fox’s internal decision-making process, and the willingness of its anchors and executives to lie for the sake of ratings, like never before.

Fox News has settled with Dominion, but the network has many other legal problems

Don’t be disappointed by the Fox News vs Dominion outcome – this is just the start

19:30 , Bevan Hurley

Noah Berlatsky writes for The Independent:

To the general disappointment of progressive observers, Fox settled its lawsuit with Dominion voting systems just before the trial’s opening arguments were slated to begin.

I, along with plenty of others, had been hoping for a full trial. We wanted to see Fox anchors like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity testify in open court under oath that they had lied to their viewers about the election, insisting that the vote was rigged against Donald Trump when they knew it was not.

Fox was desperate to avoid that, and with a $787.5 million settlement – the biggest libel payout in American history – they did.

A long trial underlining the perfidy and recklessness of right-wing media would have been a healthy outcome for democracy, and could have even undermined Fox’s reputation with some of its fanbase.

But it’s important to acknowledge that the lawsuit does provide some accountability, and, just as important, it makes future coup attempts or assaults on democracy more difficult. We know from discovery that Fox carefully weighed incentives and financial consequences before pushing election lies. This payout changes those incentives for the future. That’s a good thing.

Don’t be disappointed by the Fox v Dominion outcome – this is just the start | Voices

Fox News finally covers the Dominion trial, fails to mention how much they’re paying to make it go away

19:00 , Bevan Hurley

Fox News has had very little to say about Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6bn defamation lawsuit for nearly the entirety of its existence, but finally deemed the story worth covering on Tuesday when it announced the parties had settled.

In Fox News’ story — which comes in at 256 words, approximately 70 of which are a block quote from a Fox spokesman— we do not learn why the company was sued, just that it was broadly sued for defamation. We also do not learn how much it cost the network to make the trial go away.

(It was $787.5m, in case you missed it.)

Graig Graziosi has the story.

Fox News finally covers the Dominion trial, and it is embarrassing

Fox Dominion payout becomes largest media settlement in history

18:30 , Bevan Hurley

The settlement between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems has become the largest publicly known payout ever struck by an American media company.

Fox Corp and Fox News on Tuesday settled a defamation lawsuit slapped against it by Dominion by agreeing to pay $787.5m to the voting equipment company.

Sweta Sharma has the full story.

Fox Dominion payout becomes largest media settlement in history

Fox News won’t apologise on air for false election claims under $787m Dominion settlement

18:00 , Bevan Hurley

Despite the $787.5m settlement, there will be no retractions or on-air apologies on Fox, a source with knowledge of the agreement told The Independent.

Josh Marcus has the details.

Fox News won’t apologise on air under $787m Dominion settlement

Stephen Colbert shares frustration at Fox-Dominion settlement: ‘Damn it! I want my trial!’

17:30 , Bevan Hurley

Stephen Colbert could barely contain his laughter as he discussed the news that Fox News has settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion for $787.5m.

“Damnit! I want my trial! I want it!” he shouted. “I wanted to see Rupert Murdoch put his hand on the Bible and burst into flames.

“I guess it’s satisfying for Dominion that Rup-y had to fork over a pile of cash, but that does nothing for our democracy.”

Isobel Lewis has the full story.

Stephen Colbert shares frustration at Fox-Dominion settlement

Trump remains silent on Fox’s Dominion lawsuit settlement

17:00 , Bevan Hurley

Former president Donald Trump’s social media output in the hours since Fox News reached a $787m settlement with Dominion Voting Systems has included numerous posts promoting a series of digital trading cards he is selling, attacks on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and bizarre complaints about Elon Musk and alleged censorship on Twitter (where Mr Trump’s account has gone unused since it was restored earlier this year).

But Mr Trump has not weighed in on Fox’s decision to offer more than three-quarters of a billion dollars to Dominion rather than allow a Delaware jury to determine how much the right-wing network should pay for broadcasting repeated lies about the company’s products rather than report the truth because it was upsetting their audience.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Trump remains silent on Fox’s Dominion lawsuit settlement

Trump’s election lies cost Fox $787m – will they also cost him the White House in 2024?

16:30 , Bevan Hurley

The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg writes:

For a good portion of the network’s quarter-century on the air, Fox News went by the mantra of “we report, you decide”.

But after the network wholeheartedly embraced Donald Trump in 2016, the reporting became optional because their viewers had already decided.

They decided to believe whatever Trump told them. And when they heard something that contradicted that, they looked elsewhere for more comforting lies.

Two years later, Fox’s audience has remained loyal to Trump, but the twice-impeached ex-president’s lies are still exacting a cost.

Some of that cost may yet to be extracted from Fox’s bottom line.

Another voting machine manufacturer, Smartmatic, still has a multi-billion dollar lawsuit pending against Fox for many of the same lies that pushed Rupert Murdoch and his organisation to offer more than three-quarters of a billion dollars to get Dominion to drop their case.

But it may be Mr Trump who ultimately pays the highest price.

Trump’s election lies cost Fox $787m – will they also cost him 2024?

Watch: Jake Tapper can’t keep a straight face

16:00 , Bevan Hurley

CNN anchor laughs as he reports on $787.5m Fox News and Dominion settlement

Murdoch’s mega Fox payout shows there’s one thing you can’t afford to mess with…

15:30 , Bevan Hurley

The Independent’s Sean O’Grady writes:

“The truth matters. Lies have consequences”. The lawyer for Dominion Voting Systems put it better than any of Rupert Murdoch’s mercenary army of journalists ever would; or, indeed ever be permitted attempt to do so (the sensational story doesn’t figure much on his channels or in his titles). And it is about time that someone, somewhere, decided “enough already with the fake news”.

Without wishing to come over as sanctimonious – we journalists are all of us flawed – the humiliation of Fox News at the hands of Dominion, a hitherto obscure election machinery company, is a victory for truth.

It’s not as simple as that – because no defamation case of this magnitude can be – but the world is now just a little better off, a little safer, a little more protected from the abuse of media power than it was before Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News decided to cave in to Dominion.

The Fox payout shows there’s one thing you can’t afford to mess with…

Dominion CEO breaks silence on $787.5m settlement with Fox News

15:00 , Bevan Hurley

Dominion Voting Systems CEO John Poulos highlighted the importance of truth when speaking about the $787.5m defamation settlement with Fox News.

Mr Poulos spoke with Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday, just one day after Fox News and Dominion settled the months-long battle about false statements the media organisation aired regarding election fraud in 2020.

“We weren’t ready to settle until all of the facts that we had discovered had come to light in the public, that was something that we had committed to from the beginning,” Mr Poulos said about the settlement.

Adriana Baio has the story.

Dominion CEO breaks silence on $787.5m settlement with Fox News

Fox-Dominion $787m settlement is second largest in US history

14:30 , Josh Marcus

The $787.5m settlement in the Fox News defamation case brought by Dominion Voting Machines is the second largest award in US history.

Last year, a Connecticut jury ordered Alex Jones to pay $965m to the parents of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting for spreading bogus claims that they were crisis actors.

Former Fox News producer slams network’s ‘abhorrent culture of lawlessness’ after settlement

14:00 , Josh Marcus

Fox News may have avoided a bruising defamation trial with its recently announced settlement of the Dominion lawsuit, but the knives are still out for the conservative network.

Following the announcement, attorneys for Abby Grossberg, a former Fox News producer involved in the case, said the settlement was indicative of a larger culture of “lawlessness” at the network.“While we congratulate Dominion on a truly precedent setting settlement, we cannot help but be reminded of how Fox News’s penchant for paying out notoriously large settlements to resolve lawsuits exposing its unlawful conduct – whether it’s troubling allegations of workplace discrimination and sexual harassment and misconduct, to accusations of spreading malicious lies – have unfortunately, to date, failed to bring about actual meaningful changes to the network’s abhorrent culture of lawlessness,” the lawyers told The Independent in a statement.

“Fortunately, our client, Abby Grossberg, remains committed as ever to obtaining vindication of Fox News’s violations of not just her rights but the rights of others whose voices have been silenced or who fear retribution for exposing the truth, through her two lawsuits against Fox,” the statement added.

Ms Grossberg was fired from the network in March, after claiming Fox coerced her into giving misleading testimony in the defamation action. (Fox News claims she was let go for divulging privileged information.)

WATCH: CNN anchor laughs as he reports on $787.5m Fox News and Dominion settlement

13:30 , Rachel Sharp

Fox News and Dominion reach shock settlement in blockbuster defamation lawsuit moments before trial

13:00 , Bevan Hurley

Moments before opening arguments in one of the biggest defamation trials in US history were set to begin, Fox News agreed to settle a lawsuit from a voting machine company that accused the network of spreading false statements about its business in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.

Alex Woodward has the full story.

Dominion wins $787m from Fox as election lies lawsuit settled

Who else is Dominion suing over election lies?

12:30 , Rachel Sharp

The lawsuit between Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News is far from the only one being pursued by the voting systems company over the 2020 election lies.

These are the other people and companies still being sued by Dominion:

- Sidney Powell

- Rudy Giuliani

- Mike Lindell

- OAN

- Newsmax

- Patrick Byrne

Fox News said it was ‘pleased’ with the $787.5m settlement

12:00 , Bevan Hurley

In a statement, Fox News said: “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.”

With the settlement, Fox News has admitted to knowingly spreading false claims about the voting machine company in the afermath of the 2020 presidential election.

However, the hosts responsible for making the claims appear unlikely to have to do so on-air.

CNN’s Oliver Darcy said that the terms of the $787.5m settlement did not include any requirement for Tucker Carlson or Sean Hannity to address the 2020 election lies they helped to spread.

Trump silent on Fox News Dominion settlement

11:30 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump has remained silent on the settlement reached between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems.

The former president is yet to comment on the news – despite the lawsuit being directly related to his election lies.

On Monday, Mr Trump had suggested Fox News should stand by his election fraud lies to weaken Dominion Voting System’s arguments in the case.

“If Fox would finally admit that there was large scale cheating & irregularities in the 2020 presidential election, which would be a good thing for them, & for America, the case against them, which should not have existed at all, would be greatly weakened,” he had claimed.

“Back up those patriots at Fox instead of throwing them under the bus - & they are right! There is sooo much proof, like mass ballot stuffing caught on government cameras, FBI colluding with Twitter & Facebook, state legislatures not used, etc.”

Fox-Dominion $787m settlement is second largest in US history

11:00 , Bevan Hurley

The $787.5m settlement in the Fox News defamation case brought by Dominion Voting Machines is the second largest award in US history.

Last year, a Connecticut jury ordered Alex Jones to pay $965m to the parents of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting for spreading bogus claims that they were crisis actors.

Who else is Fox News being sued by?

10:30 , Rachel Sharp

The lawsuit between Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News is far from the network’s only legal problems.

These are the other people and companies suing Rupert Murdoch’s empire over the 2020 election lies:

- Smartmatic

- Abby Grossberg

- Fox investors

- Crikey

‘I’m sorry, this is going to be difficult to say with a straight face’

10:00 , Bevan Hurley

CNN anchor Jake Tapper struggled to keep a straight face as he read Fox News’ statement on the $787m Dominion defamation settlement live on air.

“The settlement reflects — I’m sorry, this is going to be difficult to say with a straight face... this settlement reflects Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards,” Mr Tapper said.

‘We’re not done yet’

09:00 , Bevan Hurley

Speaking outside court after the $787.5m settlement was announced, Dominion Lawyer Stephen Shackelford said: “Money is accountability, and we got that today from Fox. But we’re not done yet, we’ve got some other people who have some accountability coming toward them.”

Dominion is also suing right-wing networks Newsmax and OAN for spreading lies about the 2020 elections.

Fox News acknowledges $787.5m settlement for first time

22:07 , Bevan Hurley

In a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday, Fox Corporation has acknowledged for the first time the massive $787.5m settlement payout to Dominion Voting Systems.

The filing included a statement issued by Fox after the last-minute deal was reached on Tuesday, and was signed by the public company’s chief legal and policy officer Viet Dinh.

Matthew Gertz, a senior fellow at Media Matters, noted on Twitter that Fox Corporation had previously said in an SEC quarterly filing in February that it did not anticipate that the Dominion defamation lawsuit “will have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.”

Watch: ‘Lies have consequences’

08:00 , Bevan Hurley

Dominion’s attorneys speak outside the court in Wilmington, Delaware, after an historic $787.5m defamation settlement was reached with Fox News.

‘Lies have consequences’: Dominion announces settlement with Fox News

Fox News and Dominion reach shock settlement in blockbuster defamation lawsuit moments before trial

07:00 , Bevan Hurley

Moments before opening arguments in one of the biggest defamation trials in US history were set to begin, Fox News agreed to settle a lawsuit from a voting machine company that accused the network of spreading false statements about its business in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.

Alex Woodward has the full story.

Dominion wins $787m from Fox as election lies lawsuit settled

Full statement from Dominion CEO John Poulos

06:00 , Bevan Hurley

“Fox and Dominion have reached a historic settlement.Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion that caused enormous damage to my Company, our employees, and our customers.

Nothing can ever make up for that.

Throughout this process, we have sought accountability and believe the evidence brought to light through this case underscores the consequences of spreading and endorsing lies.

Truthful reporting in the media is essential to our democracy. Dominion, our employees and our partners are grateful to the court for allowing the process for the truth to come out.

I cannot thank the election officials that we serve enough. Without them there is no democracy, and they work tirelessly to that end and deserve much better.

We are grateful for all the support we have received, grateful to our legal team, and want to acknowledge Staple Street Capital, who have been unconditional in their support to Dominion and our customers.”

‘I’m sorry, this is going to be difficult to say with a straight face’

05:00 , Bevan Hurley

CNN anchor Jake Tapper struggled to keep a straight face as he read Fox News’ statement on the $787m Dominion defamation settlement live on air.

“The settlement reflects — I’m sorry, this is going to be difficult to say with a straight face... this settlement reflects Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards,” Mr Tapper said.

Ex-Fox News host Bill O’Reilly calls settlement a ‘disaster’

04:30 , Shweta Sharma

Bill O’Reilly, who was the star anchor at Fox News for two decades with his show “The O’Reilly Factor”, said “nightmare will continue” at the network.

“Big energy in liberal media corridors as Fox News is punished for foolish coverage of the 2020 election,” Mr O’Reilly said in a statement on his website.

“This is what happens when money becomes more important than honest information. Since I left FNC (Fox News Corp), the template changed from ‘Fair and Balanced’ to ‘tell the audience what it wants to hear.’”

“Going forward, Fox News faces a similar lawsuit from the Smartmatic Company and perhaps thousands of lawsuits from Fox shareholders. What a disaster,” he said.

Fox News won’t apologise on air for false election claims under $787m Dominion settlement

04:30 , Josh Marcus

Just hours before a trial was about to start in Dominion Voting Systems’s defamation suit against Fox News for its 2020 election coverage, the network reached a $787m settlement to avert further legal action.

Despite the settlement, there will be no retractions or on-air apologies on Fox, a source with knowledge of the agreement told The Independent.

The network, in a statement, admitted that a Delaware court found “certain claims about Dominion to be false”, but that’s likely as far as the broadcaster will go when it comes to considering its prominent role in broadcasting election conspiracies to viewers, despite records unearthed in the suit suggesting top figures at Fox knew such claims were false.

More details in our full story.

Fox News won’t apologise for false election claims under $787m Dominion settlement

Fox News’ settlement makes for 20-times payout for buyout firm Staple Street

04:12 , Shweta Sharma

The deal between Fox Corp and Dominion Voting Systems has led to Staple Street Capital Group LLC, the small buyout firm that owns the company, scoring a $787.5mn windfall.

The amount is equivalent to 20 times the $38.3mn the New York-based private equity firm paid in 2018 to acquire a 76.2 per cent stake in Dominion. Staple Street has $900mn in assets under management, according to its website.

The $787.5mn Dominion will receive from Fox in the settlement, which also comes with an acknowledgement of a court ruling from its cable channel Fox News that it aired false claims about Dominion machines facilitating fraud in the 2020 US election, is about half the $1.6 billion in damages it was seeking in its lawsuit.

Dominion and Staple Street representatives did not respond to requests for comment on how much Dominion stands to receive after legal expenses and taxes.

Fox News’ largest media settlement in history fails to make headline on own network

04:02 , Shweta Sharma

Fox New’s historic settlement with Dominion Voting Systems with a $787.5m deal made headlines on almost all the media networks on Tuesday, except on the cable channel itself, whose mention of it was somewhat muted.

Hosts Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, who had been expected to testify in the Dominion trial, did mention the settlement, the largest struck by an American media company, during their primetime broadcasts on Tuesday night.

Fox anchor Neil Cavuto broke into his headline news show “Your World” at about 4.30pm to report the settlement but ended up just reading the statement by Fox which said it was pleased to have reached an agreement to avert a trial and acknowledged the judge’s ruling that the claims about Dominion were false.

Howard Kurtz, the host of Fox News‘ MediaBuzz show, appeared on Cavuto’s show and during “Special Report with Bret Baier.” He read the Fox statement, but did not include the dollar figure of the settlement.

Fox News and Dominion reach shock settlement in blockbuster defamation lawsuit moments before trial

04:00 , Bevan Hurley

Moments before opening arguments in one of the biggest defamation trials in US history were set to begin, Fox News agreed to settle a lawsuit from a voting machine company that accused the network of spreading false statements about its business in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.

Alex Woodward has the full story.

Dominion wins $787m from Fox as election lies lawsuit settled

CNN’s Jake Tapper struggles to keep a straight face as he reads Fox reaction to Dominion victory

03:30 , Josh Marcus

CNN anchor Jake Tapper couldn’t help but chuckle on Tuesday as he announced the news that Fox News averted a bruising defamation trial over false election claims by paying a $787.5m (£633m) settlement to voting machine manufacturer Dominion Voting Systems.

The host hesitated multiple times as he read a statement from Fox News, which framed the settlement as a sign of “Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards” and a move which “allows the country to move forward from these issues.”

Tapper, for his part, told viewers the settlement “can only be interpreted as one of the ugliest and most embarrassing moments in the history of journalism”.

Dominion, meanwhile, said the settlement “represents vindication and accountability.”

Get all the details in our full story.

CNN’s Jake Tapper laughs as he reads Fox reaction to Dominion settlement

Dominion CEO: An ‘historic settlement'

03:00 , Bevan Hurley

Addressing the $787m settlement a few minutes ago outside court, Dominion Voting Machines John Poulos, called it an “historic settlement.”

“Throughout this process, we have sought accountability,” Mr Poulos said. “Truthful reporting in the media is essential to democracy.”

Dominion is majority-owned by private equity firm Staple Street Capital. It’s annual revenue in 2022 was estimated to be $17.5m, a tiny fraction of the settlement amount.

Fox News said it was ‘pleased’ with the settlement

02:30 , Josh Marcus

“We are pleased to have reached a settlement of our dispute with Dominion Voting Systems,” Fox News said in a statement.

“We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false.

“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.”

With the settlement, Fox News has admitted to knowingly spreading false claims about the voting machine company in the afermath of the 2020 presidential election.

Fox News $787m payment in Dominion case is largest media settlement in US history

01:52 , Josh Marcus

Fox News’s $787.5m settlement of Dominion Voting System’s defamation suit against it is the largest media settlement in US history, Mediaite reports.

And it could’ve been even worse for the conservative network had the case gone to trial.

Dominion, which claimed Fox News repeatedly and knowingly spread false information about it on air, was originally seeking $1.6bn in damages.

How will the Dominion suit affect Donald Trump’s 2024 run?

01:34 , Josh Marcus

After nearly two years and one $787m settlement payment later, Dominion Voting Systems’ landmark defamation lawsuit against Fox News is no more.

The right-wing talk network, which for years has topped the cable television ratings with its incendiary and often fact-averse opinion programming, agreed to make the massive payout to the voting machine maker just before opening statements were set to begin in what would’ve been an exceedingly embarrassing spectacle of a trial.

Dominion, which bore the brunt of outlandish accusations from former president Donald Trump and his allies in the wake of his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden, was poised to put the top brass and top talent at Fox on the witness stand, where their attorneys were certain to have elicited humiliating explanations of why they knowingly aired ridiculously false claims about the voting machines made by the company.

Indeed, documents made public during the lawsuit’s discovery phase made clear that Fox’s most prominent personalities had no qualms about embracing ridiculous allegations from Mr Trump and others in his orbit even though they knew them to be false.

Andrew Feinberg unpacks the political implications of the settlement for Independent Voices.

Trump’s election lies cost Fox $787m – will they also cost him 2024?

What to know about the Fox - Dominion suit’s surprise resolution

Wednesday 19 April 2023 00:56 , Josh Marcus

Mountains of evidence boxes were wheeled into a seventh-floor courtroom on Tuesday morning, moments before lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems planned to eviscerate Fox News and its Fox Corporation leadership for the volley of false claims about the company in the aftermath of the 2020 election.

Later that morning, jurors were sworn in. They ordered lunch. Hours later, it was over. And Fox News admitted that statements on its airwaves about Dominion were false, agreeing to pay the voting machine company more than $787m in a settlement that averted one of the biggest-ever defamation trials in American history.

In a twist of fate, the trial involving the country’s most-watched cable news network was not going to be broadcast at all. Cameras or audio feeds were not allowed in the courtroom. The judge presiding over the case in Wilmington, Delaware warned that anyone photographing or livetweeting from inside his courtroom could even face contempt of court charges. Officers removed at least one person for tweeting a photo of the inside – she happened to be a representative for Fox.

While a court spokesperson set up a lectern outside the courthouse steps, with news cameras from around the world jockeying for a sweet spot to film them, attorneys for Fox rushed out the other side of the building, chased down by photographers and two men carrying signs reading “FOX IS GUILTY” and “MAKE ‘EM PAY”.

Read Alex Woodward’s full report from Delaware on the Dominion case’s twist finale.

The Succession-worthy finale of the Dominion v Fox nearly-trial

Fox dodges apology in Dominion settlement: report

Wednesday 19 April 2023 00:34 , Josh Marcus

Fox News will not have to apologise for any false statements the network may have aired about Dominion Voting Systems, following the conservative broadcaster’s $787.5m defamation settlement with the election technology company, The Washington Post reports, citing two sources close to the network.

Fox did admit some of its claims were inaccurate, writing in a statement to reporters, “We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false.”

The Independent has requested comment further from Fox, including whether there are other conditions in the settlement.

‘We’re not done yet’

Wednesday 19 April 2023 00:00 , Bevan Hurley

Speaking outside court after the $787.5m settlement was announced, Dominion Lawyer Stephen Shackelford said: “Money is accountability, and we got that today from Fox. But we’re not done yet, we’ve got some other people who have some accountability coming toward them.”

Dominion is also suing right-wing networks Newsmax and OAN for spreading lies about the 2020 elections.

Watch: ‘Lies have consequences’

Tuesday 18 April 2023 23:30 , Bevan Hurley

Dominion’s attorneys speak outside the court in Wilmington, Delaware, after an historic $787.5m defamation settlement was reached with Fox News.

‘Lies have consequences’: Dominion announces settlement with Fox News

Fox News and Dominion reach shock settlement in blockbuster defamation lawsuit moments before trial

Tuesday 18 April 2023 23:00 , Bevan Hurley

Moments before opening arguments in one of the biggest defamation trials in US history were set to begin, Fox News agreed to settle a lawsuit from a voting machine company that accused the network of spreading false statements about its business in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.

Alex Woodward has the full story.

Dominion wins $787m from Fox as election lies lawsuit settled

No on-air apologies from Fox hosts

Tuesday 18 April 2023 22:35 , Bevan Hurley

Fox News “acknowledged” in a statement that it had made false claims about Dominion, but the hosts responsible for making the claims appear unlikely to have to do so on-air.

CNN’s Oliver Darcy said that the terms of the $787.5m settlement did not include any requirement for Tucker Carlson or Sean Hannity to address the 2020 election lies they helped to spread.

Full statement from Dominion CEO John Poulos

Tuesday 18 April 2023 22:13 , Bevan Hurley

“Fox and Dominion have reached a historic settlement.Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion that caused enormous damage to my Company, our employees, and our customers.

Nothing can ever make up for that.

Throughout this process, we have sought accountability and believe the evidence brought to light through this case underscores the consequences of spreading and endorsing lies.

Truthful reporting in the media is essential to our democracy. Dominion, our employees and our partners are grateful to the court for allowing the process for the truth to come out.

I cannot thank the election officials that we serve enough. Without them there is no democracy, and they work tirelessly to that end and deserve much better.

We are grateful for all the support we have received, grateful to our legal team, and want to acknowledge Staple Street Capital, who have been unconditional in their support to Dominion and our customers.”

Fox-Dominion $787m settlement is second largest in US history

Tuesday 18 April 2023 21:59 , Bevan Hurley

The $787.5m settlement in the Fox News defamation case brought by Dominion Voting Machines is the second largest award in US history.

Last year, a Connecticut jury ordered Alex Jones to pay $965m to the parents of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting for spreading bogus claims that they were crisis actors.

Dominion CEO: An ‘historic settlement'

Tuesday 18 April 2023 21:43 , Bevan Hurley

Addressing the $787m settlement a few minutes ago outside court, Dominion Voting Machines John Poulos, called it an “historic settlement.”

“Throughout this process, we have sought accountability,” Mr Poulos said. “Truthful reporting in the media is essential to democracy.”

Dominion is majority-owned by private equity firm Staple Street Capital. It’s annual revenue in 2022 was estimated to be $17.5m, a tiny fraction of the settlement amount.

'I’m sorry, this is going to be difficult to say with a straight face’

Tuesday 18 April 2023 21:35 , Bevan Hurley

CNN anchor Jake Tapper struggled to keep a straight face as he read Fox News’ statement on the $787m Dominion defamation settlement live on air.

“The settlement reflects — I’m sorry, this is going to be difficult to say with a straight face... this settlement reflects Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards,” Mr Tapper said.

‘We’re not done yet’

Tuesday 18 April 2023 21:30 , Bevan Hurley

Speaking outside court, Dominion Lawyer Stephen Shackelford said: “Money is accountability, and we got that today from Fox. But we’re not done yet, we’ve got some other people who have some accountability coming toward them.”

Dominion is also suing right-wing networks Newsmax and OAN for spreading lies about the 2020 elections.

‘Lies have consequences’

Tuesday 18 April 2023 21:28 , Alex Woodward

Dominion’s lawyers announced after the bombshell settlement decision that they had reached a settlement for $787,500,000.

“The truth matters, lies have consequences,” Dominion attorney Justin Nelson said outside court.

“Today’s settlement of $787m represents … accountability.”

Attorneys for Dominion won’t answer questions from The Independent and others about whether Fox should or will apologise.

Fox News statement

Tuesday 18 April 2023 21:17 , Bevan Hurley

Fox News have released the following statement: “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.

“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.”

Fox’s legal team has left the court without commenting

Tuesday 18 April 2023 21:13 , Bevan Hurley

Fox News’ attorneys have left the court in Wilmington without providing any further details on the conditions of the settlement with Dominion, according to reporters at the courthouse.

It appears as though cameras are positioning outside for a press conference.

Fox News and Dominion reach shock settlement in blockbuster defamation lawsuit moments before trial

Tuesday 18 April 2023 21:05 , Alex Woodward

Moments before opening arguments in one of the biggest defamation trials in US history were set to begin, Fox News agreed to settle a lawsuit from a voting machine company that accused the network of spreading false statements about its business in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.

Fox News and Dominion reach shock settlement in blockbuster defamation lawsuit

‘The parties have resolved their case’

Tuesday 18 April 2023 20:58 , Bevan Hurley

There’s been a settlement in the Fox-Dominion defamation case, Judge Davis tells the jury.

The jury is on the way back into the court

Tuesday 18 April 2023 20:57 , Alex Woodward

We’re moments away from an update for the near two and a half hour delay to opening arguments, as the judge is calling the jury back into the courtroom.

The judge is entering the courtroom

Tuesday 18 April 2023 20:51 , Alex Woodward

Nearly two and a half hours after opening arguments were due to begin, Judge Eric Davis is reentering the courtroom.