Fox Corp. must face Smartmatic's $2.7 billion defamation suit, a New York judge ruled on Wednesday, denying a motion to dismiss defamation claims against Fox News' parent company. But Smartmatic must also face Fox's counterclaims that the substantial defamation claims are intended to supress free speech, the judge ruled in a separate order. Fox lawyers had asked the court to dismiss the claims against Fox Corp., arguing that the parent company — led at the time by executives Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch — was not legally responsible for Fox News coverage. But he also simultaneously denied Smartmatic's motion to dismiss Fox News and Fox Corp.'s counterclaims against them, in which the media company had argued Smartmatic's claims were designed to quell free speech. "As a report prepared by our financial expert shows, Smartmatic’s damages claims are implausible, disconnected from reality, and on their face intended to chill First Amendment freedoms."

Source: Fox News January 25, 2024 15:48 UTC