"The parties have resolved their dispute," Judge Eric Davis told jurors at the very beginning of the trial in the superior court of the state of Delaware (east).
He gave no details, including financial, while the company was still asking Tuesday morning $ 1.6 billion in damages to the favorite channel of American conservatives.
Dominion Voting Systems, whose machines operated in 28 states during the presidential election won by Joe Biden in November 2020, accused in its complaint Fox News of having presented it as an instrument in the service of the Democrats to rig the election, which was claimed without evidence by members of Donald Trump's close guard on the set of the most watched channel on American cable.
Whatever the financial terms, a deal saves the pearl of Rupert Murdoch's media empire from suffering "the defamation lawsuit of the century" as the New York Times called it. And to Rupert Murdoch, 92, the prospect of perhaps having to testify on the stand.
Lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems arrive at Delaware State Superior Court, in Wilmington, April 18, 2023 © Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP
Even before the debates, the procedure had given rise to an embarrassing unpacking for Fox News, with the publication of email or text messages showing that stars of the channel, and even Rupert Murdoch, did not believe, in November 2020, the scenario of a rigged election, while the accusations flourished on the air.
The trial was eagerly awaited in the United States, where it was seen as a test for the limits of free speech, guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution, as well as for the fight against disinformation.
© 2023 AFP