Topline
A Delaware judge said Wednesday billionaire Fox Corporation chair Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan can be called to testify at trial in Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation suit against Fox News, according to multiple reports, as Fox and Dominion prepare to face off later this month in a trial over false conspiracy theories about Dominion’s voting machines.
Rupert Murdoch could be forced to testify in the defamation case against Fox News, a judge said … [+]
Key Facts
In a pretrial hearing Wednesday, Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis said if attorneys for Dominion ask the Murdochs to testify, he would not quash” their trial subpoenas and “would compel [the Murdochs] to come.”
Dominion lawyers have indicated they would push for both Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch to testify in the case, the New York Times reported.
The Murdochs could join a group of Fox News hosts expected to testify at trial, including Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Jeanine Pirro, Bret Baier and Maria Bartiromo.
Rupert Murdoch, 92, previously testified in a deposition he didn’t believe the election fraud theories and said Fox did not endorse the claims as a company, though he admitted “some of our commentators were endorsing it,” according to Dominion’s court filings.
Fox News did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Key Background
Dominion filed suit against Fox in March 2021, alleging the network spread false claims that its voting machines were used to commit fraud during the 2020 presidential election in a bid to boost ratings. In recent weeks, explosive filings released by Dominion have suggested Fox News staff allowed the debunked claims to be aired even when they knew they were false, expressing doubt about election fraud theories involving the voting machines in private communications. Fox has denied Dominion’s claims and argued it was merely reporting on high-profile allegations made after the 2020 election.
What To Watch For
The defamation trial is set to start April 17, after Davis ruled late last month to reject Fox’s argument to bypass a trial under First Amendment protections.
Forbes Valuation
We estimate the Murdoch’s family’s net worth to be $17.6 billion. Rupert Murdoch’s media empire includes The Times of London and the Wall Street Journal, in addition to Fox News and the Fox broadcast network.
Further Reading
Fox News’ Claims About Dominion Were False, Judge Rules—But Leaves Election Defamation Issue Up To Trial (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/04/05/rupert-murdoch-can-be-forced-to-testify-in-dominion-suit-judge-says/