(StraightNews.org) — Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis has sanctioned Fox News for withholding evidence in its billion-dollar Dominion defamation case. The Judge said he might order an investigation after a former employee said she had given recordings taken inside the network to Fox’s lawyers. Abby Grossberg, who is also suing the network, said she gave the tapes to its legal team, but these were allegedly withheld. Fox denies wrongdoing and said it provided the recordings to Dominion’s lawyers as soon as it became aware of them.
The Judge also expressed frustration at the network’s legal team for not making the role of Chairman Rupert Murdoch clear. Dominion claims that Murdoch is an executive chairman with decision-making powers, whereas Fox initially claimed he held no official position.
Dominion is suing Fox for defamation in a $1.6 billion suit. The company claims that Fox knowingly published falsehoods in the wake of the US Presidential election of 2020. President Trump stated that the election was stolen from him, partly through the use of Dominion vote-counting technology. The company alleges that Fox broadcasted Trump’s claims knowing that they were false.
Fox said it merely reported on the election fraud claims but did not promote them as fact. It also stated that its broadcasts were protected by the First Amendment, which is essential for journalistic independence.
In March, former producer Abby Greenberg filed a separate lawsuit claiming Fox had tried to coerce her into giving misleading testimony in the Dominion case. She also accused the network of sexism.
Fox News, in turn, filed its own suit against Ms. Greenberg and requested a restraining order to prevent her from revealing privileged information. In response to her allegations, a spokesperson for Fox said, “Fox News Media engaged an independent outside counsel to immediately investigate the concerns raised by Ms. Grossberg, which were made following a critical performance review. We will vigorously defend these claims.”
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