A major libel lawsuit has begun in the United States over unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. A court in the state of Delaware on Tuesday started proceedings that voting machine manufacturer Dominion had brought against television channel Fox News.
Dominion is claiming about $ 1.6 billion (about 1.5 billion euros) in damages because Fox News had spread reports about alleged manipulation of the voting machines. The channel’s management invokes freedom of the press and insists that the reports of then US President Donald Trump and his lawyers were legitimately presented as news. Dominion, on the other hand, wants to prove that Fox News deliberately broadcast fake news.
The jury’s selection was finalized on Tuesday. To begin with, they received instructions from the judge. The opening statements of both parties should follow in the course of the day (on the German evening). Cameras were not allowed during the trial. Only the sound was broadcast outside the courtroom.
Dominion also had filed defamation lawsuits against several individuals close to Trump, including attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell and businessman Mike Lindell. They had alleged without evidence that Dominion had used the election software to manipulate the vote in favor of Trump’s challenger Joe Biden. However, the lawsuit against Fox News attracted particular attention because it deals with the fundamentals and limits of press freedom and the case also revolves around a number of colorful figures from the media world. The court documents showed in advance, among other things, that Fox presenters were afraid of losing the public’s favor if they did not support Trump’s claims of election fraud.
To this day, Trump refuses to admit defeat to Biden. He claims without any evidence that he was deprived of an election victory by fraud. His allies at the time also spread the accusations and filed several lawsuits, all of which failed. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
