WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — A $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems over the network’s coverage of the 2020 presidential election is an assault on the First Amendment, attorneys for the cable news giant argued in a counterclaim unsealed Thursday.
Denver-based Dominion, which sells electronic voting hardware and software, is suing both Fox News and parent company Fox Corporation. Dominion said that some Fox News employees deliberately amplified false claims by allies of former President Donald Trump that Dominion had changed votes in the 2020 election, and that Fox provided a platform for guests to make false and defamatory statements.
In an amended counterclaim, attorneys for Fox argue that Dominion has advanced “novel defamation theories” and is seeking a “staggering” damage figure aimed at generating headlines, chilling protected speech and enriching Dominion’s private equity owner, Staple Street Capital Partners, and its investors.
“Dominion brought this lawsuit to punish FNN for reporting on one of the biggest stories of the day—allegations by the sitting President of the United States and his surrogates that the 2020 election was affected by fraud,” the counterclaim states. “The very fact of those allegations was newsworthy.”
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