Rupert Murdoch to be deposed in $1.6 billion defamation case against Fox - The Washington Post

According to the filing, Murdoch’s deposition volition beryllium conducted remotely, via videoconference.

Rupert Murdoch is the highest-profile idiosyncratic to beryllium deposed by lawyers for Dominion, which has spent the past fewer months hauling successful web executives, producers and hosts to reply questions astir whether they knew that claims made astir Dominion exertion connected Fox’s airwaves were false. Many of the astir egregious comments were made by unpaid guests, including Donald Trump-affiliated attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, though immoderate were echoed by Fox hosts including Jeanine Pirro, Maria Bartiromo and Lou Dobbs, who nary longer works for the company.

On Monday, Rupert Murdoch’s eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch, sat for an in-person deposition astatine a instrumentality steadfast bureau successful Los Angeles. Murdoch is the enforcement seat and CEO of Fox Corp, and is considered to beryllium the apt successor to his media titan father. James Murdoch, who was erstwhile main enforcement of the then-Fox News genitor institution 21st Century Fox but has since chopped ties with the family’s media entities, was deposed connected Oct. 25.

Dominion lawyers person besides deposed salient Fox hosts including Sean Hannity, Pirro and Tucker Carlson, arsenic good arsenic erstwhile on-air personalities, including Shepard Smith. In doing so, lawyers for the predetermination exertion institution person attempted to probe the interior civilization and reporting practices of the highest-rated cablegram quality network. The institution has besides obtained reams of interior communications sent by Fox employees and executives.

Suzanne Scott, the main enforcement of Fox News, was deposed connected Nov. 1, portion Fox News president Jay Wallace was deposed 2 weeks later.

Hannity’s Aug. 31 deposition lasted much than 7 hours, according to tribunal records. He was asked specifically astir a Nov. 30, 2020 occurrence successful which Powell claimed that Dominion “ran an algorithm that shaved disconnected votes from Trump and awarded them to Biden” and “used the machines to inject and adhd monolithic quantities of votes for Mr. Biden.” Dominion had antecedently warned Fox reporters and producers that audits and reviews had recovered nary grounds of fraud oregon miscounting of votes successful the election. Hannity aired Powell’s onslaught connected Dominion “despite knowing it was false, and knowing it was coming,” the institution said successful 1 tribunal filing, portion Pirro “hosted Powell and endorsed her statements.”

Fox News has argued that Dominion’s suit is an affront to the principles of property state and that the magnitude of wealth being demanded is “outrageous.” The company’s lawyers person said that Fox simply covered newsworthy claims of predetermination fraud made by a highly nationalist figure.

“There are precise fewer events successful the past 50 years successful this state that I deliberation are much newsworthy than our president alleging that our full Democratic strategy was enactment connected its caput by a voting instrumentality institution stealing votes,” seasoned proceedings lawyer Dan Webb, who is representing Fox, told The Washington Post successful August.

Fox has sought to shield some Hannity and Pirro from sharing “confidential sources and information,” arguing that it is “a journalist’s close to support his confidences.” But Hannity has said successful the past that helium does not see himself to beryllium a journalist, and Dominion has argued that adjacent if they bash number arsenic journalists, determination is nary specified close erstwhile the accusation is straight applicable to whether Fox acted with “actual malice.”

Neither broadside successful the lawsuit has suggested that a colony successful the lawsuit could beryllium imminent. If an statement is not reached, a five-week proceedings successful Delaware Superior Court is acceptable to statesman connected April 17. Fox News is asking for the lawsuit to beryllium combined with an “identical” suit against Fox Corporation, saying Dominion “should not person 2 chances to resistance Fox done massive, nationalist trials.”