Rupert Murdoch avoids apology in Fox News Dominion's £633m settlement

The latest deal saves Fox News from a potentially nasty lawsuit that would shed light on the heart of Rupert Murdoch's empire. Credit: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

Rupert Murdoch and Fox News avoided a public apology for their coverage of the 2020 US election after agreeing to pay $788m (£633m) to settle a high-profile defamation suit.

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Fox contacted a dramatic 11-hour deal with Dominion Voting Systems last night to prevent a lawsuit over allegations that the news network knowingly broadcast false claims that Dominion technology was used to rig Joe Biden's 2020 election.

But despite the payout, Fox will not be required to retract or apologize on air.

In a statement released last night, the opinionated news outlet said only that it acknowledged the court's decision «revealing certain claims.» that Dominion is false.»

Although the deal was less than half the $1.6 billion in damages Dominion was seeking, it is still the largest libel settlement in US history. Coverage of the blockbuster deal has been muted on Fox news. Hosts Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, who were due to testify in court, did not mention the settlement during their primetime broadcasts Tuesday night.

Fox News host Sean Hannity did not mention the Dominion settlement in his latest broadcast. Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Fox host Neil Cavuto burst into the headline of his daytime news show Your World. report the settlement and read Fox's statement saying they are pleased with the agreement reached to prevent litigation but do not apologize.

Speaking after the settlement was reached last night, Dominion Chief Executive John Poulos said: “Fox admitted to lying about Dominion, which caused enormous damage to my company, our employees and our customers. Nothing will ever make up for that.”

Stephen Shackelford, Dominion's lawyer, added: “Money is a responsibility, and we got that from Fox today. But we are not finished yet, we have other people who have a certain responsibility to them.”

The voting tech company is also suing smaller right-wing networks Newsmax and One America News over their airing allegations of voter fraud.

⚡️ Dominion CEO Voting Systems John Poulos shows @andersoncooper how his voting machines work and looks at unsubstantiated claims against his company. https://t.co/wn1KbxWLfv

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 24, 2022

The final deal, which was reached after the jury had been chosen and with both parties ready to begin opening statements, spared Fox a potentially awkward trial that would have shed light on the heart of Mr. Murdoch's empire.

It was expected that the 92-year-old will take the stand, as will his son Lachlan and Fox News chairman Suzanne Scott.

The settlement does not mark the end of Fox's legal troubles, however. The company is also facing a $2.7 billion lawsuit filed by another voting technology company.

Smartmatic won its case from a New York judge in March and vowed to take legal action last night.< /p>

Eric Connolly, Smartmatic's lawyer, said: “The Dominion litigation has exposed some of the misconduct and damage caused by Fox's disinformation campaign. Smartmatic will expose the rest.

«Smartmatic remains committed to clearing its name, repairing the significant damage it has done to the company, and holding Fox accountable for undermining democracy.»