Hannity, Carlson among Fox stars being deposed in Dominion lawsuit

by Dominick Mastrangelo - 08/25/22 3:05 PM ET

A number of top Fox News hosts and staffers are among the individuals who are slated to be deposed as part of Dominion Voting Systems’ ongoing defamation lawsuit against the cable giant.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson is set to face questions on Friday from Dominion’s lawyers, The New York Times reported, with fellow prime-time star Sean Hannity and former Fox host Lou Dobbs slated to be deposed next week.

Other top Fox personalities including Jeanine Pirro and Steve Doocy have already faced questions from Dominion’s attorneys in the case, according to the Times, and Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott and other top editorial leaders at the network are expected to be deposed in the coming weeks as well.

Dominion’s $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit stems from claims made on Fox’s airwaves falsely suggesting it was engaged in fraud during the 2020 election.

Dominion’s lawyers have argued in court filings that Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch and other leaders at Fox Corp. knowingly allowed the network to air false claims of voter fraud, saying they “decided to promote former President Trump’s narrative after Trump’s condemnation of Fox damaged its stock and viewership.”

Fox has moved to have the case dismissed on First Amendment grounds, and in June a Delaware Superior Court judge ruled the case against Fox could proceed.

Two weeks later, the network announced it had hired Dan Webb, a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, as part of its legal team fighting the lawsuit.

“We are confident we will prevail as freedom of the press is foundational to our democracy and must be protected, in addition to the damages claims being outrageous, unsupported and not rooted in sound financial analysis, serving as nothing more than a flagrant attempt to deter our journalists from doing their jobs,” the network said in a statement to The Hill on Thursday.

There has been no discussion of a settlement in the case from either party, the Times reported, noting the case is likely headed for a jury trial early next year.