Rupert Murdoch, president of News Corp and co-chairman of twenty first Century Fox, arrives on the Sun Valley Resort for the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, July 10, 2018 in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Drew Anger | Getty’s paintings
A Delaware judge on Wednesday said he would force it Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch and his son, CEO Lachlan Murdoch, will appear live in court ahead of the upcoming trial in Dominion Voting System’s $1.6 billion libel lawsuit against Fox and its networks.
Earlier Wednesday, Dominion, in a letter filed with the court, called on Judge Eric Davis, who’s handling the case, to force each Murdochs to appear live. He also asked for private testimony from Paul Ryan, a former Republican Speaker of the House and member of Fox’s board of directors, and Viet Dinh, Fox’s chief legal and policy officer.
“Fox and Dominion made these 4 games very relevant,” Davis said during Wednesday’s hearing. “It isn’t the corporation that raises their hand on the podium, it’s their officers and directors who raise their hand on the podium.”
“So if Dominion wants to bring them live, they’ve to file a trial subpoena and I’m not going to rescind it. I’ll make them come,” Davis added on Wednesday.
The letter comes days after a judge ruled the trial would begin in April.
Davis rejected Fox’s arguments but agreed with several of Dominion’s conclusions, aside from the argument that Fox and its hosts acted maliciously by spreading false claims in regards to the 2020 presidential election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
The trial is scheduled to begin on April 17. Dominion and Fox have agreed that a few of Fox’s biggest television talents, including Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro, in addition to former host Lou Dobbs and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott, will appear in court to file live testimony.
In earlier court documents, Dominion didn’t include the Murdochs on its list of live testimony, although this had previously been discussed in court.
Fox countered Murdoch in addition to other Fox Corp. executives by giving live testimony in court. Additionally they cited the elder Murdoch’s age, 92, as the explanation he was unable to appear in court live. The judge rejected that argument ultimately week’s hearing.
“Dominion apparently wants to proceed generating misleading stories from its friends within the media to divert attention from their weak cause,” a Fox spokesman said in an announcement. “Requiring witnesses who had nothing to do with the contested broadcasts is just the most recent example of their political crusade for a financial windfall.”
On Wednesday, Davis also noted ahead of next week’s pre-trial conference that he doesn’t consider January 6, 2021, to be the case.
“I do know this probably shocks everyone,” Davis said, adding that he is specializing in a selected timeframe as he develops this case and the court’s opinion and is just aware of 1 statement made after Jan. 6 that relates to Dominion.
Among the many evidence that has come to light on the matter, the documents show the network’s internal response to Jan. 6, including Fox executives stopping Trump’s attempt to go on air that evening. That very same evening, Carlson texted his producer calling Trump “a demonic force. a destroyer. But he won’t destroy us,” referring to the Fox network and its audience, according to court documents.