Smartmatic, the voting company at the center of the controversy surrounding the 2020 election, has taken a bold step in its fight against Fox News. The company, which has been accused of manipulating the election tally in favor of President Joe Biden, has subpoenaed four Fox Corp. board members as part of its $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against the news network.
According to The Washington Post, the move is a significant victory for Smartmatic, as it will force board members Anne Dias, Jacques Nasser, Chase Carey, and Roland Hernandez to produce critical documentation that could be crucial to the company’s case. Smartmatic alleges that executives at Fox were aware of the false claims of election fraud being spread by allies of former President Donald Trump, yet did nothing to stop the dissemination of this misinformation.
Lead attorney for Smartmatic, J. Erik Connolly, emphasized the importance of holding not just the Murdochs accountable, but also the board members who allowed Fox News to spread disinformation about the 2020 election. The company’s lawsuit against Fox, filed in 2021, accuses the network of damaging its reputation as a trustworthy voting steward.
Fox has defended its coverage of the election, citing First Amendment protections and the need to address questions of voting fraud. However, the network recently agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787.5 million to avoid a trial that could have exposed its promotion of unfounded claims about election corruption.
As the legal battle between Smartmatic and Fox News continues to unfold, the role of the board members in the network’s coverage of the 2020 election is sure to come under scrutiny.
