New York federal court ruled that Brown Rudnick has won the defamation lawsuit for a Venezuelan businessman, Majed Khalil, worth $250 million against Fox Corp., Fox News Network LLC, and the former host Lou Dobbs. Brown Rudnick’s complaint against Dobbs and Fox linked Khalil to alleged voter fraud in the 2020 United States presidential election, which the court ruled to be false and sufficiently alleged defamation.
Brown Rudnick filed the lawsuit on behalf of Khalil against Fox and Lou Dobbs in response to them linking him to voter fraud during a broadcast. The lawsuit accuses Dobbs and Fox of connecting Khalil to Dominion and Smartmatic, the technology voting companies, despite Khalil denying any affiliation with the companies. The complaint also alleges that no one from Fox News approached Khalil regarding the accusations made against him, nor did Fox or Dobbs present any evidence to substantiate their claims.
Fox and Dobbs’ defense team requested the dismissal of the case, citing the fair report doctrine, the neutral report doctrine, and the protection of the First Amendment. However, the court ruled that none of those doctrines protect the statements made against Khalil in the case, as he is a private figure and businessman who does not fall under the same rules that apply to news organizations reporting on public figures.
Khalil’s lawsuit is one of many legal challenges that Fox and its current and former hosts are facing over election fraud claims, including defamation lawsuits from Smartmatic and Dominion. The court’s decision to allow Khalil’s lawsuit to proceed against Fox and Dobbs made headlines in several news outlets, including ABCNews.com, the Associated Press, Deadline.com, Bloomberg Law, New York Law Journal, and Law & Crime.
Sigmund Wissner-Gross, Partner at Brown Rudnick, leads the team representing Khalil in the lawsuit, with other partners including Benjamin Chew, Clara Krivoy, Camille Vasquez, and Chelsea Mullarney. Counsel Isabel Munárriz and Associate Jessica Meyers also represent Khalil in the case.
The court’s decision is a significant victory for Brown Rudnick and Khalil, who have successfully cleared their reputation from false accusations made by Fox and Lou Dobbs. The lawsuit’s success suggests that news organizations should adhere to the principles of accuracy and fairness in their reporting, especially when covering private individuals rather than public figures.
Original Story at brownrudnick.com – 2022-09-29 07:00:00