Robert Murdoch, former chairman of Fox Corporation, will be questioned this week as part of the ongoing lawsuit filed by election machine company Smartmatic against Fox News, according to a Reuters report published on Tuesday. The election machine company seeks to hold Fox accountable for lies related to the fraud involving Smartmatic machines that were promoted on Fox News after the 2020 presidential election.
Key Information
Murdoch will be questioned on Tuesday and Wednesday in Los Angeles, according to a Reuters report citing anonymous sources, as the former president’s questioning does not appear on the case’s public schedule.
Smartmatic sued Fox News for $2.7 billion, along with hosts Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, Jeanine Pirro, and Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani, accusing the defendants of defaming the company by spreading false conspiracy theories about election fraud related to its machines.
What to Watch For
It is unclear when the court will rule on the dismissal of the Fox Corp. case. If the allegations against the company proceed, Murdoch is likely to be called as a witness in the trial. A trial date has not yet been set, although it is likely to take place sometime in 2025. While the Dominion case against Fox News avoided going to trial, with both sides reaching a last-minute settlement of $787.5 million, it remains unknown whether the Smartmatic case will end in the same way.
Fox News attorneys indicated that a settlement is unlikely during a September session, as the network’s lawyer said that Smartmatic “is not Dominion, and as much as they hope, they will never be Dominion.”
Forbes Assessment
Murdoch and his family are worth $18 billion as of Tuesday, according to Forbes’ real-time tracker, making him the world’s 98th richest person.
Main Background
The Smartmatic lawsuit against Fox, the hosts, and Giuliani is one of five defamation suits filed by the election machine company in the wake of the 2020 presidential election. The company also separately sued One America News Network, Newsmax, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, and far-right lawyer Sidney Powell, who had a lawsuit filed against her in federal court after being removed as a defendant in the case with Fox and Giuliani. False conspiracy theories linking Smartmatic voting machines to fraud spread after the 2020 presidential election, although the company’s machines, based in London, were only used in Los Angeles in 2020 and not in any contested state. Smartmatic and Dominion have fought an extensive legal battle against right-wing figures over conspiracy theories related to their machines, with Dominion also filing seven defamation suits, including the one filed against them by Fox News. So far, it is the only case resolved in the Dominion vs. Fox News matter, which has attracted widespread interest ahead of the planned trial, revealing court filings in the case that included text messages and emails from prominent Fox hosts and executives saying they knew the fraud claims relating to Dominion machines were false.
Further Reading
Robert Murdoch to be questioned in ongoing defamation case against Fox (Reuters)
Why the upcoming lawsuit against Fox News might require Smartmatic to pay a “big check” for a settlement (Forbes)
Settlement in the Fox News defamation case: Here’s where Dominion and other Smartmatic cases stand now (Forbes)
Comparing Murdoch to a “Mafia boss” ordering a hit in the Smartmatic case (Bloomberg)
Here are the most controversial comments made by Fox News stars – Carlson, Ingraham, and Hannity – and Murdoch off-camera about Trump and the 2020 elections (Forbes)
Murdoch admits that Fox News hosts spread false claims about election fraud (Forbes)
What does Fox face in the defamation case concerning the 2020 presidential election (Forbes)
Follow me on Twitter. Send me a secure tip. Alison Durkee
Editorial Standards
Reprints and Permissions
Leave a Reply