Eric Boehlert: Murdoch hounded by lawsuits that could cost Fox News billions

[babylonsister]

Murdoch hounded by lawsuits that could cost Fox News billions
The Big Lie
Eric Boehlert
3 hr ago

snip//

This week, Justice David Cohen of State Supreme Court in Manhattan issued a stinging rebuke of Fox News. Denying the network’s attempt to dismiss a $2.7 billion lawsuit filed by Smartmatic, the election technology company that Fox smeared as part of Trump’s Big Lie offensive following the 2020 campaign, Cohen waved off Murdoch’s attorneys.

“Even assuming that Fox News did not intentionally allow this false narrative to be broadcasted, there is a substantial basis for plaintiffs’ claim that, at a minimum, Fox News turned a blind eye to a litany of outrageous claims about plaintiffs, unprecedented in the history of American elections, so inherently improbable that it evinced a reckless disregard for the truth,” Cohen wrote in his 61-page opinion. The judge repeatedly signaled that the lawsuit can proceed because there’s a reasonable chance that a jury would find Fox guilty of defamation.

The finding comes just three months after a judge in Delaware issued an identical ruling in another defamation lawsuit against Fox News, this one seeking $1.6 billion in damages. That one was brought by Dominion Voting Systems, which claimed Murdoch’s network smeared the election software company by casting it as a central villain in the GOP’s “rigged” charade.

“Fox possessed countervailing evidence of election fraud from the Department of Justice, election experts, and Dominion at the time it had been making its statements,” the judge wrote. “The fact that, despite this evidence, Fox continued to publish its allegations against Dominion, suggests Fox knew the allegations were probably false.”

For years, Fox News has gotten away with blatantly lying and slandering people, most often Democrats, and have paid almost no price for it. The reason Smartmatic and Dominion are having success in court is because they are businesses, not individuals, and they’re not “public figures.” If they were, it would be extremely difficult, under U.S. legal precedent, to prove they were defamed. They are both easily able to document how their brands have been damaged, and the amount of business they have lost, thanks to Fox smears.

more...

https://pressrun.media/p/murdoch-hounded-by-lawsuits-that

[Wicked Blue]

1. Good! nt

[exboyfil]

2. I am still a little surprised that some election officials haven't sued as well

In particular in Georgia. They are not public figures.

[XacerbatedDem]

3. Finally, and hopefully, some comeuppance for the head of that slimefest network of his.

[uponit7771]

4. Good, FAUX News exploits human *ANCHOR BIAS* to the nth degree

[2naSalit]

5. More of these, please.

[L. Coyote]

17. March 11, 1931 is Rupert Murdoch's birthday. Fewer of these, please.

The fascist may not live to see his empire's demise.

[2naSalit]

21. Either way...

The day he stops wasting good air that should be put to better use by endangered species will be a great day for the entire planet. Same with pooteen.

[drmeow]

33. One of the many

Republican poster children FOR abortion! "If abortion had been legal in 1931 maybe we would have been spared this horror!"

[no_hypocrisy]

6. Made my day! Good!

[Wounded Bear]

7. He says that like it's a bad thing...

[Justice matters.]

8. GOOD! Make these immoral, greedy Australians PAY

Way past time this will happen!

[hadEnuf]

9. Sue that fucking channel out of existance.

[spanone]

10. ...K&R...

[PortTack]

11. Just and FYI: fux last quarter report showed they lost 83 million..hope something is afoot

[ffr]

12. Fox Noise is taking it from all sides now. Ha-ha!

Your revenue stream from Russia will soon be cut off and that goes doubly for your Russian-GOP candidates this November. Without blood money from that murderous madman in Moscow, it's going to be delicious watching how GOP candidates aren't as palatable this year.

Hey, Fox News, GO FUCK YOURSELF!
Hey, republicans everywhere, GO FUCK YOURSELVES!

[RainCaster]

13. Go get 'em!!

Woot!

[bucolic_frolic]

14. Unconditional surrender is the only acceptable outcome

Settling out of court only extends the problem.

[KPN]

15. Peanuts! Bring back the Fairness Doctrine; and pass laws that effectively prohibit the broadcast of

misinformation/disinformation by any organization/media promoting itself as a news source -- and then frigging enforce it. Implement an excise tax on news sources to cover the cost of monitoring/enforcing both -- they brought this on themselves.

Wishful and probably somewhat simplistic thinking, I know.

[Justice matters.]

29. Will never pass the "current" Senate. nt

[YoshidaYui]

16. BURN FOX TO THE GROUND!!!

LAW SUITS ENOUGH TO DESTROY THIS PUTIN PROPAGANDA CHANNEL

[2naSalit]

22. ++++++++++++++++++++!!

[KS Toronado]

18. Has FQX been mean to you for no good reason?

Call 1-800-FQX-DEAD

[crickets]

19. Good. K&R for visibility.

[SergeStorms]

20. The Murdoch's got their collective....

dicks in a wringer on this, and maybe, hopefully, finally something will be done about the vicious propaganda these assholes peddle on a 24/7/365 basis.

[Mr. Evil]

23. Focksnooze business model is coming back to bite them in the ass.

Rupert Murdoch knew way back when that there is a certain percentage of people that love to hear what they want to hear. That's their business model. Even though they may know otherwise they still promote what the right-wing doofus idiot goobers want to hear. The viewers feel vindicated and reinforced in their warped worldview because they are hearing and seeing it on the TV. Every single day. This shit is straight out of the Joseph Goebbels propaganda playbook. Keep repeating the lies until they are accepted as the truth.

If there ever was a better example of the fictional 'zombie apocalypse' becoming reality, it's Focksnooze viewers. They are addicted. They watch anything there and suddenly they think, "I've been saying that all along!" The best example of this is how Hillary Clinton's political aspirations were nixed because of a daily onslaught of lies and vilification with absolutely zero evidence to support them.

They are definitely guilty of 'screaming "fire" in a crowded theater.' Dangerous and false statements repeatedly that are not protected free speech. Short read here to explain why. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shouting_fire_in_a_crowded_theater

It would be nice if we could file a class-action lawsuit against them and put them out of business for the public good.

Yes, I purposely refuse to spell their name properly. I hate them.

[Grins]

24. Rx: Fox files for bankruptcy; George Soros buys for pennies on the dollar.

A boy can dream…

[Pepsidog]

25. Fox is going to get slammed in lawsuits. My goodness, they called Arizona for Biden before anyone

else. How will they ever defend their actions with the Big Lie considering their sophisticated, state of the art election technology. No first amendment protection here, this was Actual Malice on steroids that they still perpetuate. I hate Fox with a passion and Murdoch even more.

[2Gingersnaps]

26. LOL, I lost my mother and my husband to cancer

If one could sue cancer and save the world, why wouldn't you? Rupert Murdoch is a cancer on humanity.

Having said that, the family of Seth Rich sued and won. But by the time it wound through the courts the damage was done, as Mark Twain said, "A lie can travel around the world and back again while the truth is lacing up its boots.”

See "Hillary sold our Uranium to Russia"

[Midnight Writer]

27. Deport the SOB as an undesirable, and forbid him from investing in or owning any US business.

He bought his way into the USA with the intent to disrupt our Country and he should be removed.

He's no better than any sanctioned Russian oligarch.

[demigoddess]

28. nice!

[dlk]

30. Justice would be Murdoch/Fox being sued into bankruptcy

They have caused so much serious damage to our democracy.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

31. I wouldn't exactly call it justice,

but it would be a start!

[SuperCoder]

32. Good!!!

Let's destroy the Putin propaganda channel.

[FakeNoose]

34. It's too bad they can't sue Roger Ailes

He was a pox on humanity, just like Rupert Murdoch. However I'm quite sure that Murdoch has made more money off his propaganda network than Roger Ailes ever could have. May Roger Ailes rot in hell, may Murdoch rot in debtor's prison.