"Historic" is how Constitutional expert John D. Vile describes the defamation settlement between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems.
"The most puzzling aspect of this case is that it took so long for Fox News to cut its losses at $787.5 million rather than take a chance on the $1.6 billion in damages for which Dominion was asking," Vile muses.
"Had Fox settled much earlier, it might have been able to avoid the release of testimony that clearly established that Fox News personalities were recklessly airing claims that they knew to be false or unsupported," he continued.
He concludes, "The test for libel in cases involving public figures and companies (like Dominion) remains intact. In such cases, those suing for libel must establish “actual malice,” that is a showing that statements were made either knowing that they were false or with reckless disregard for whether they were true or false."
Vile is a professor of Political Science and the dean of the University Honors College at Middle Tennessee State University. He has written and edited numerous books on American politics and law, including A Companion to the U.S. Constitution and its Amendments. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary, who earned his Ph.D. in Government from the University of Virginia.
He is available to connect Zoom, email, or phone for indepth interviews or to provide quick quotes.
RSS