Kansas Crimson

More of this, please:

Rupert Murdoch and Fox Corp. board members sued by investor over ‘stolen election claims’

(Fox Corp. and Fox News are set to go to trial next week in the $1.6 billion defamation case brought by Dominion Voting Systems.)

A Fox Corp. shareholder sued Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch and several members of the Fox Corp. board of directors in Delaware on Tuesday afternoon, arguing that they violated their fiduciary duty to the company when they allowed Fox News to broadcast election conspiracy theories.

The derivative action — a kind of lawsuit brought by shareholders who believe they’ve been harmed by the corporation — was brought by a single plaintiff, Robert Schwarz.

“The Board’s decision to chase viewers by promoting the false stolen election claims has exposed the Company to public ridicule and negatively impacted the credibility of Fox News as a media organization that is supposed to accurately report newsworthy events. The Company is now the subject of two defamation cases, with combined damages claimed to exceed $4 billion,” the lawsuit alleges.

“FOX knew — from the Board on down — that Fox News was reporting false and dangerous misinformation about the 2020 Presidential election, but FOX was more concerned about short-term ratings and market share than the long-term damages of its failure to tell the truth,” the filing continues...

Not a good day for Fox:

A former producer for Tucker Carlson, (who alleges Fox lawyers coached her to lie during her deposition) reveals that Fox News has secret tapes of Rudy Giuliani and other Trump campaign officials admitting that there is "no evidence" that the 2020 presidential election was stolen by Dominion voting systems despite repeatedly claiming so. The judge is really pissed and considering appointing a Special Master, if Dominion wants to do more discovery, and make Fox pay for it:

shirley wrote:And lordy, there may be tapes!

They are playing tapes of Rudy's conversations on Alex Wagner's show on MSNBC tonight.

Feral wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2023 8:51 pm

shirley wrote:And lordy, there may be tapes!

They are playing tapes of Rudy's conversations on Alex Wagner's show on MSNBC tonight.

Excellent.

jhawks99 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 7:20 amExcellent.

That's from yesterday, so who knows, since a settlement could happen anytime, but it's hard not to want to see Carlson, Hannity, Ingram, Murdoch, et al, doing their time on the witness stand.

The settle-or-not question is fascinating, legally. Just (as an example) in terms of what Dominion’s board is entitled/obligated to do.

jfish26 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 8:10 am The settle-or-not question is fascinating, legally. Just (as an example) in terms of what Dominion’s board is entitled/obligated to do.

Not to mention the likelihood of Faux appealing it and giving the liars and grifters on the Supreme Court an opportunity to "hollow out" Sullivan. Although, this guy disagrees:

If Dominion prevails against Fox News, that won’t harm press freedoms
Jan-Werner Müller

Quite a few observers, including liberals, are anxious that a victory for Dominion could backfire. Those worries are misplaced.

On Tuesday begins one of the most closely watched trials about press freedom in decades. Dominion, maker of voting machines, is suing Fox News for defaming the company during its coverage of the 2020 election. Fox hosts and plenty of more or less deranged guests had suggested that the election was stolen, spreading increasingly absurd theories about how the machines could flip votes from Trump to Biden.

Quite a few observers, including liberals, are anxious that a victory for Dominion could backfire: if the case reaches the US supreme court, the latter’s radical right-wing majority, evidently willing to overturn precedents like Roe v Wade, could use the occasion to hollow out protections for news organizations (a category to which Fox evidently does not belong). Ron DeSantis is already busy tightening libel laws, explicitly targeting “legacy media.”. So, while Fox having to pay $1.6bn dollars to Dominion might be deeply satisfying for critics of a Republican party propaganda channel, democracy as a whole could turn out to be the loser. Yet this handwringing is misplaced.

[...]

jfish26 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 8:10 am The settle-or-not question is fascinating, legally. Just (as an example) in terms of what Dominion’s board is entitled/obligated to do.

If I’m a Dominion shareholder I’d want the whole $1.6b, less $50mil for each of the hosts who perpetuated the falsehoods offering an apology on their program every day for one week and then once a week for another three weeks. Another $100mil for the organization admitting wrongdoing and placing ads to that effect in every newspaper with a circulation of >100k once a week for a month.

Anything less would be a nonstarter.

I guess we'll find out...

$787,500,000

Crap.

Do Rudy, Crazy Sydney and loco Lindell settle too?

jhawks99 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 6:12 pm Crap.

Do Rudy, Crazy Sydney and loco Lindell settle too?

I wouldn’t worry about, you know, Fox. But if I had a claim against the lesser lights of the MAGAverse (your assorted Lindells and Powells and so on)…I’d take $0.25 in the hand rather than an expected claim of $1.

I want to see them testify under oath. Fox seems to have dodged that bullet.

jhawks99 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 20, 2023 12:58 pm I want to see them testify under oath. Fox seems to have dodged that bullet.

As a fan of, you know, democracy…me too. But as a creditor, I’d get what I can while there’s something to be got.

So Tucker is out.. Major shakeup.

I hope he gets to keep the fuckin' slouchy chairs.

NewtonHawk11 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 10:43 am So Tucker is out.. Major shakeup.

Very interested to see (eventually) the why. It wouldn't surprise me if the company's insurers are requiring it.