What is actually next for Fox and Dominion? Far more lawsuits trying to find accountability for corrosive 2020 election lies

Wilmington, Delaware
CNN
 — 

Dominion Voting Systems’ blockbuster defamation scenario towards Fox News is in excess of soon after the appropriate-wing community cuts a examine for a staggering $787 million, but there is still an avalanche of pending lawsuits that are in search of accountability from the ideal-wing figures who championed fake claims about the 2020 election.

Soon after a lot more than two decades of authorized wrangling, Fox reached a last-2nd settlement with Dominion on Tuesday as the case raced towards opening statements, agreeing to the major publicly identified defamation payout by a US media business in heritage.

Additional lawsuits – and potentially more settlements – may well be coming. Here’s a breakdown of the connected litigation that’s continue to pending.

In some approaches, this isn’t the finish of Fox News’ lawful head aches. It’s only halftime.

Though the appropriate-wing community will steer clear of getting to apologize or issuing an on-air retraction more than the bogus Dominion promises that infected its air, Fox is still dealing with another important defamation lawsuit stemming from numerous of the exact same lies that were at the coronary heart of the Dominion scenario.

Smartmatic, a different voting know-how firm, sued Fox for defamation next the 2020 election and is trying to get $2.7 billion in damages from Fox and other defendants.

That lawsuit was submitted in New York state courts, and a trial is not predicted whenever quickly.

“Dominion’s litigation uncovered some of the misconduct and problems triggered by Fox’s disinformation campaign,” Smartmatic law firm Erik Connolly said in a statement following the settlement. “Smartmatic will expose the relaxation. Smartmatic remains dedicated to clearing its identify, recouping the sizeable injury finished to the firm, and keeping Fox accountable for undermining democracy.”

Soon after that lawsuit was filed in February 2021, a Fox spokesperson claimed, “We are very pleased of our 2020 election coverage and will vigorously defend this meritless lawsuit in court.” The community denies any wrongdoing.

Individually, with the Dominion lawsuit now settled, the decide in that circumstance formally ended the transient special master probe that he introduced to search for potential legal misconduct by Fox. The exclusive master had been investigating no matter if the correct-wing community deliberately withheld evidence from Dominion. Fox denied any wrongdoing.

Dominion still has a bevy of pending lawsuits towards 2020 election deniers.

They are suing ideal-wing Tv networks Newsmax and OAN, which went even even more than Fox Information in their advertising of unhinged and debunked conspiracy theories about meant election-rigging.

Newsmax stated Dominion’s scenario against it is distinct than its scenario versus Fox.

“Newsmax thinks that the info at problem in Dominion’s case versus it are materially unique from those that could have driven Fox to settle and no conclusion about Newsmax really should be drawn from that settlement,” a organization spokesperson explained to CNN. “Newsmax stands by its coverage and analysis of the 2020 election and will carry on to vigorously defend versus the claim.”

The voting engineering company also has ongoing lawsuits versus previous President Donald Trump’s allies, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and Mike Lindell, who have been at the tip of the spear of concocting and spreading the lie that the election was stolen from Trump.

All of these persons and organizations deny wrongdoing and are combating the lawsuits in courtroom.

In the course of their publish-settlement victory lap Tuesday, Dominion’s lawyers reported the final result in the Fox case gave them new momentum in their other circumstances. That is due to the fact Delaware Exceptional Courtroom Choose Eric Davis issued a collection of pretrial rulings in Dominion’s favor, rejecting Fox’s important Initial Amendment defenses.

“All of individuals selections will have a big bearing on all those lawsuits as they participate in out,” Dominion lawyer Davida Brook told CNN Tuesday evening.

Dominion law firm Justin Nelson extra in a CNN interview that the Fox Information settlement “sends a information to the other seven lawsuits that accountability is coming.”

– CNN’s Oliver Darcy contributed to this report