Dominion Voting hits Fox News with $1.6B suit over 2020 election claims
The network pushed a "manufactured" story "to serve its own commercial purposes," according to the voting hardware and software company.
Fox News is being sued over its coverage of the 2020 US presidential election.
Dominion Voting Systems on Friday filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against the Fox News Network, alleging that the broadcaster pushed a "manufactured storyline about election fraud" to increase viewership in the wake of the 2020 US presidential election, as previously reported by the Associated Press. It follows similar suits against Rudy Giuliani, former President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, and Sidney Powell, a former Trump campaign lawyer.
The voting hardware and software company's suit highlights Fox News and Fox Business segments in which network hosts and guests allegedly made defamatory on-air comments about the company's products following Joe Biden's win over Trump.
"As the dominant media company among those viewers dissatisfied with the election results, Fox gave these fictions a prominence they otherwise would never have achieved," the lawsuit said.
In an emailed statement, a Fox News spokesperson said the network is proud of its 2020 election converge and it will "vigorously defend against this baseless lawsuit in court."
Last month, Dominion rival Smartmatic USA sued Fox News over election claims for $2.7 billion. Unlike the more widespread Dominion machines, Smartmatic services were only used in Los Angeles County during the 2020 election. The network filed four motions to dismiss the Smartmatic suit.