In a brief written order issued Friday, Delaware State Court Judge Eric Davis said he was planning a Denver-based Dominion trial on April 17, 2023. Fox, a Fox Corp member, had asked Owens trial date in early 2024. Owens set aside five weeks for the trial, which could be the first of several baseless allegations made by various media outlets and individuals about Dominion technology. Dominion filed its lawsuit against Fox News in March 2021. People linked to Trump’s campaign, including lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, have been plotting that Dominion rigged the ballot in the weeks since the Nov. 3, 2020, election, in which Democrat Joe Baidne Ride won. Dominion has filed defamation lawsuits against several of Trump’s allies, including Giuliani and Powell, as well as the conservative television networks Newsmax and One America News. Another electoral technology company at the center of conspiracy theories, Smartmatic, has filed similar lawsuits. The defendants said they were commenting on issues of public concern and their comments were protected by freedom of speech from the First Amendment to the US Constitution. Davis ruled in December against a request from Fox News to dismiss Dominion’s lawsuit. Owens wrote in his decision that it was “reasonably understandable” that Dominion had a viable defamation claim and allowed the company to continue to seek evidence and testimony from Fox. Fox News representatives called Dominion’s lawsuit “unfounded” and said the network remained committed to defending itself. “As we have argued, FOX News, along with every news agency across the country, has been actively covering the breaking news around the unprecedented 2020 election, providing a complete framework for each story with in-depth reporting and clear analysis,” Fox said. . said the spokesman in December. Representatives of Fox News and Dominion did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday. Our Morning and Afternoon newsletters are compiled by Globe editors, giving you a brief overview of the day’s most important headlines. Register today.
