Fox Must Face Smartmatic’s $2.7 Billion Defamation Suit

Ruling allows suit to proceed over coverage of 2020 election
Same judge earlier allowed Fox counterclaim in suit to proceed

Fox Corp.’s motion to dismiss the suit was denied by Justice David B. Cohen in Manhattan. — Fox Corp.’s motion to dismiss the suit was denied by Justice David B. Cohen in Manhattan.
Photographer: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Erik Larson

January 24, 2024 at 10:45 PM UTC

Updated on

January 24, 2024 at 11:34 PM UTC

Fox Corp. was ordered to face a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit by Smartmatic Corp., one of two voting technology companies falsely accused on Fox News of rigging the 2020 US presidential election against Donald Trump.

The decision Wednesday by a New York judge is the latest setback for Fox after the media giant agreed in April to pay $788 million to settle a similar suit by Dominion Voting Systems Inc., the other company targeted by the conspiracy theory. Fox continued airing the allegations even after they were widely debunked.