Voting technology company Smartmatic said in December 2020 that it was considering suing then-President Trump, and conservative media outlets like Fox News, Newsmax and OANN, for spreading conspiracy theories about the company because the false statements had been hurting business. (TVNewser)
Now, Smartmatic is suing Fox News, three of its hosts and two former lawyers for Trump—Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell—for $2.7 billion, charging that the defendants conspired to spread false claims that the company helped “steal” the U.S. presidential election. (AP)
The lawsuit, filed in New York state court, accused Fox, Giuliani, Powell and hosts Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, and Jeanine Pirro of intentionally lying about Smartmatic in an effort to mislead the public. “They needed a villain,” the lawsuit said. (CNN)
Smartmatic’s complaint claims that the segments on Fox News contained numerous errors involving the reliability of its technology, and that Fox News knew its statements about Smartmatic were untruthful. (WSJ)
“Fox News Media is committed to providing the full context of every story with in-depth reporting and clear opinion. We are proud of our 2020 election coverage and will vigorously defend this meritless lawsuit in court,” a Fox spokesperson said in an emailed statement. (NBC News)