A voting machine firm suing Fox News now wants to probe Murdoch family trust fight
Source: AP
Updated 6:32 PM EST, November 25, 2024
Lawyers for a voting machine company that’s suing Fox News want to question founder Rupert Murdoch about his contentious efforts to change his family trust, the attorneys told a court Monday.
Election-tech company Smartmatic’s $2.7 billion defamation suit regards Fox’s reporting on 2020 voting fraud claims. But Smartmatic’s attorneys suggest the separate succession fight over Murdoch’s media empire might shed light on any Fox Corp. involvement in editorial matters.
It’s an important, if technical, question as Smartmatic seeks to hold the deep-pocketed Fox parent company responsible for statements that the news network aired. Fox contends that there’s no such liability and that it was engaging in journalism, not defamation, when it broadcast election-fraud allegations made by then-President Donald Trump ‘s attorneys.
Rupert Murdoch may already have given a deposition — out-of-court questioning under oath — in the defamation suit. Such records aren’t public at this stage, but plans for his deposition were briefly mentioned at a 2022 hearing. Smartmatic now is seeking to talk to Murdoch about his efforts to rewrite his plans for his businesses after his death.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/smartmatic-fox-news-lawsuit-election-2020-94da7315f75658a9afaee64a94dd559f