Attorney warns Fox: Dominion "exposed some of the misconduct" — Smartmatic "will expose the rest"

After $787M settlement, Fox News faces a $2.7 billion lawsuit from another voting tech company

By Gabriella Ferrigine

Staff Writer

Published April 19, 2023 12:00PM (EDT)

Protesters Gather Outside Fox News Studios To Call Out Channel's Silence On The Dominion Lawsuit (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Protesters Gather Outside Fox News Studios To Call Out Channel's Silence On The Dominion Lawsuit (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Fox News agreed to pay over $787 million to Dominion Voting Systems to settle its defamation lawsuit but the network's legal troubles are far from over.

Smartmatic, another voting technology company embroiled in TrumpWorld conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, has also sued the conservative media company airing baseless claims about the company. Smartmatic is demanding $2.7 billion in financial compensation from Fox, arguing that the conspiracy theories "decimated" its business. 

The complaint was first filed with the New York State Supreme Court in February of 2021. Smartmatic claims that Fox News knowingly made "over 100 false statements and implications" that contributed to former President Donald Trump's election narrative and compromised the company's integrity in the public eye. 

Smartmatic's suit lists Trump allies Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, as well as Fox News anchors Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, and Jeanine Pirro as defendants. Powell in 2020 claimed that Smartmatic assisted in rigging an election in Venezuela — in actuality, as Insider reported, the company was a key whistleblower in unveiling election fraud under President Nicolas Maduro in 2017. 

Following the announcement of Fox's settlement with Dominion on Tuesday, Smartmatic lawyer Erik J. Connolly released a statement affirming that the company "remains committed" to seeing Fox be held accountable.

"Dominion's litigation exposed some of the misconduct and damage caused by Fox's disinformation campaign. Smartmatic will expose the rest," Connolly said. "Smartmatic remains committed to clearing its name, recouping the significant damage done to the company, and holding Fox accountable for undermining democracy."


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Sara Fischer, a senior media reporter at Axios, shared a "remarkable statement" Fox sent her in response.

"'There is nothing more newsworthy than covering the president of the United States and his lawyers making allegations of voter fraud," the statement said. "Freedom of the press is foundational to our democracy and must be protected, in addition to the damages claims being outrageous, unsupported, and not rooted in sound financial analysis.'"


By Gabriella Ferrigine

Gabriella Ferrigine is a staff writer at Salon. Originally from the Jersey Shore, she moved to New York City in 2016 to attend Columbia University, where she received her B.A. in English and M.A. in American Studies. Formerly a staff writer at NowThis News, she has an M.A. in Magazine Journalism from NYU and was previously a news fellow at Salon.

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Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Dominion Voting Systems Donald Trump Erik Connolly Fox News Sidney Powell Smartmatic