Fox News has reached an agreement with Venezuelan businessman Majed Khalil.
The lawsuit was a small afterthought to separate Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic and raise awareness of defamation lawsuits against the network after hosts and guests reinforced allegations that the companies were involved in voter fraud. Jury selection in the Dominion case begins this week.
“The parties are pleased to jointly notify the court that they have entered into a confidential agreement to resolve this matter,” attorneys for Khalil and the network wrote in a document sent to U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton . “The parties are expected to submit a joint waiver clause, subject to caveats, early next week.”
Dobbs and Fox Corp. were also named as defendants in Khalil’s lawsuit.
In his defamation suit, Khalil cited a December 10, 2020 tweet on Dobbs’ account in which he wrote that the election was a “cyber Pearl Harbor.” The tweet included a document calling Khalil the “effective ‘COO’ of the election project led by Chavez and Maduro. Khalil is a connection to Hezbollah.”
Later that day, Dobbs interviewed attorney Sidney Powell, who alleged that Khalil and three others “designed and developed the Smartmatic and Dominion programs and machines with a controller module that allows people to log in and voice.” to manipulate even while it is taking place”.
Dobbs’ show was canceled by Fox Business Network in February 2021.
In September, Stanton denied a motion to dismiss Khalil’s suit, writing that the plaintiff “reasonably alleges that Fox can be held liable for the defamatory allegations.” The judge concluded that New York’s anti-SLAPP statute applied to the case because it was a matter of public interest.
The defendants filed countercharges under New York’s anti-SLAPP law in October, arguing that Dobbs’ reporting fell under the First Amendment and New York law and that Khalil could not allege actual malice. Fox claimed it was covering newsworthy allegations of voter fraud by Donald Trump and his allies.
After the deadline, a Fox News spokesperson said: “This matter has been amicably resolved by both parties. We have no further comment.” Khalil’s attorney, Sigmund S. Wissner-Gross, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Stanton previously dismissed Khalil’s claims against Powell, citing a lack of personal jurisdiction.
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
