Court nixes Fox News’ bid to end voting tech firm’s suit
New York’s Supreme Court Appellate Division, a mid-level appeals court, ruled against the network, which wanted judges to dismiss the $2.7 billion defamation case.
The company that brought the case, Smartmatic, has said it played a valid and small role in the election. It hailed the ruling as a step toward holding Fox News accountable for amplifying unsupported and damaging claims from Trump’s lawyers.
Fox News cast the case as an attempt to chill journalism, expressing confidence the network ultimately would prevail.
Tuesday’s decision means Smartmatic’s suit continues against Fox News, hosts Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro, former host Lou Dobbs, and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani. A claim against Trump lawyer Sidney Powell was dismissed earlier because she doesn’t have ties to New York, where the case was filed.
The five-judge ruling concluded there were “significant allegations” that Giuliani and Powell defamed the company.
“The complaint alleges in detailed fashion that in their coverage and commentary, Fox News, Dobbs, and Bartiromo effectively endorsed and participated in the statements with reckless disregard for, or serious doubts about” whether there was any reliable evidence for them, five judges wrote in a unanimous opinion. Citing “the same reasoning,” they also reinstated Smartmatic’s claims against Pirro, which a lower court had thrown out.
http://apnews.com/article/politics-new-york-city-donald-trump-lawsuits-c6ba1a98acef12964e4340e92f016911
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