Dominion Voting Systems has requested that top executives and well-known hosts from Fox News be called as witnesses in its $1.6 billion defamation case against the network. The list of potential witnesses includes Fox News chief executive Suzanne Scott, Fox News President Jay Wallace, hosts Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Maria Bartiromo, Laura Ingraham, and Bret Baier, as well as former executive Bill Sammon and politics editor Chris Stirewalt. Dominion also wants to call Abby Grossberg, a Fox News producer who recently filed lawsuits alleging that network lawyers coerced her into providing misleading testimony. Fox News has suggested that it wants to put Scott, Wallace, Hannity, Carlson, Bartiromo, and Baier on the stand as witnesses, but their strategy is unknown.
Both Fox News and Dominion had previously requested to be declared the outright winner without a trial, but the judge has yet to rule on the matter. If no settlement is reached, the case is expected to proceed to a jury trial, with jury selection scheduled to begin on April 13. Dominion had also asked the judge to compel Fox Corporation Chairman Rupert Murdoch, chief executive Lachlan Murdoch, and board member Paul Ryan to testify at trial, but a decision on this has not been made.
During a virtual court hearing, Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis expressed exasperation with Fox’s lawyers, accusing them of legal “gamesmanship.” He also expressed concern over Fox’s objection to every single exhibit that Dominion might use at trial, likening Fox’s strategy to “asymmetrical warfare.” Fox has argued that Dominion has cherry-picked exhibits to present a misleading narrative about the network’s actions in 2020.
Both sides are hoping to present testimony from their chosen experts, including experts in election statistics, the security of voting machines, journalism ethics, and the impact of disinformation. Fox News claims it has experts who will testify that its election coverage followed professional standards and that Dominion’s systems have security problems. Dominion, on the other hand, plans to have experts explain why it would have been impossible for its software to flip millions of votes from Trump to Biden, as suggested by Fox hosts and guests.
Fox News maintains that it is proud of its 2020 election coverage and argues that it cannot be held liable for airing newsworthy allegations from public figures, even if they are false. The network also argues that Dominion’s request for $1.6 billion in damages is inflated. Fox Corporation, the parent company of Fox News, has also been named in the lawsuit and has asked to be dropped from the case, but the judge has allowed it to proceed.
Original Story at www.cnn.com – 2023-03-28 07:00:00