Fox Corp. and its chairman, media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, have been hit with yet another lawsuit. This time, an investment firm is suing them over their false claims regarding widespread voter fraud in the 2020 US presidential election. The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, accuses Murdoch and other board members of “repeatedly and blatantly” spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation on Fox News, causing the company’s stock price to fall.
Meanwhile, in a separate defamation trial, Dominion Voting Systems, the voting machine manufacturer, was denied the right to bring up the January 6 Capitol riot during proceedings against Fox News. Dominion sued Fox News for defamation after the network falsely accused the company of rigging the election against then-President Donald Trump.
In related news, a shareholder of Fox Corp. has also sued Murdoch and other directors for coverage of the 2020 election, alleging that the company prioritized “political outcomes over journalistic integrity.”
These lawsuits come as Murdoch and Fox News face increased scrutiny over their coverage of the 2020 election and the Capitol riot. Last week, a judge criticized Fox News for failing to produce documents related to Dominion’s lawsuit, calling their response “inadequate.”
As distrust in voting machines persists among Republicans, Dominion and Fox News are headed to a legal showdown in the coming months. While Dominion maintains that their machines were secure and accurate, Fox News had repeatedly spread false claims of widespread voter fraud, causing damage to Dominion’s reputation.
The continuous legal challenges against Fox Corp. and Rupert Murdoch signal the fallout from their controversial coverage of the election and the riot, which has resulted in significant financial and ethical consequences for the company.