- Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News has been delayed ahead of its scheduled start date.
- The conclusion of the jury selection process and the start of opening statements, set for Monday morning, was pushed back to 9 a.m. ET on Tuesday.
- On Saturday, the possibility of Dominion and Fox avoiding the trial looked as unlikely as ever.
A political scene is posted outside the Fox News headquarters on 6th Avenue in New York on July 21, 2020.
Timothy A. Claire | AFP | Good pictures
WILMINGTON, Del. — Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News has been delayed ahead of its scheduled start date, a court official said Sunday.
The conclusion of the jury selection process set for Monday morning and the start of opening statements have been pushed back to 9 a.m. ET on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Delaware Superior Court.
Spokesmen for Fox and Dominion did not immediately return statements when asked for comment after the delay was announced Sunday night.
Dominion, which sells voting machines and election software, said it was defamed by Fox Corp. and its cable TV networks after Fox broadcast false claims that it rigged the 2020 election against former President Donald Trump.
Fox argued that Dominion did not meet the statutory standard for defamation and that the published statements about Dominion were protected by the First Amendment.
The Wall Street Journal reported Earlier Sunday, Fox made a last-minute push to settle the case out of court.
Most defamation cases are settled out of court. But as recently as Saturday, the possibility of Dominion and Fox avoiding the trial seemed unlikely. “In the coming weeks, we will demonstrate Fox’s lies, which will cause great damage to Dominion. We look forward to the hearing,” a Dominion spokesperson told CNBC on Saturday morning.
Judge Eric Davis, who is presiding over the case, said in a court statement that he would announce the delay from his courtroom at 9 a.m. Monday.
