Which other defamation lawsuits did Fox News face between 2020 and 2025 and how were they resolved?
Executive summary
Between 2020 and 2025 Fox News faced multiple high‑profile defamation threats and lawsuits tied to its post‑2020 election coverage: Dominion Voting Systems sued in 2021 and that case was settled for about $787.5 million in April 2023 [1]. A separate, larger Smartmatic suit seeking $2.7 billion proceeded through New York courts during 2024–2025, with appeals courts rejecting Fox’s efforts to dismiss and the parties asking judges to rule on summary judgment as the litigation continued [2] [3] [4].
1. Dominion v. Fox — the headline settlement that shaped later suits
Dominion filed a defamation suit alleging Fox amplified false claims that its machines flipped votes; Fox settled the case for $787.5 million in April 2023, avoiding a Delaware trial and signaling both legal and reputational jeopardy for the network [1] [5]. The settlement did not require a public apology but was widely reported as the largest known media defamation settlement to that date, and it became a reference point for plaintiffs pursuing similar claims [2] [1].
2. Smartmatic v. Fox — a broader, ongoing escalation
Smartmatic’s $2.7 billion lawsuit, filed over similar post‑2020 coverage, advanced through New York courts in 2024–2025; an appellate panel in January 2025 refused to dismiss Smartmatic’s claims against Fox Corp., allowing the action to proceed toward trial unless settled or dismissed later [3] [2]. By late 2025 both sides were urging judges to decide dispositive motions, and court filings had produced thousands of pages of internal texts and e‑mails that plaintiffs say show Fox talent privately doubting the fraud claims while continuing to air them [4] [6].
3. How Fox defended itself and how courts treated those defenses
Fox’s principal legal line has been First Amendment protection for reporting newsworthy allegations and contesting the “actual malice” standard — arguing hosts genuinely believed the fraud claims were plausible and therefore not defamatory [7] [4]. Courts, however, have been receptive to plaintiffs’ contentions that internal messages and editorial decisions create triable issues about whether Fox knew the statements were false or recklessly disregarded the truth, which contributed to denials of early dismissal in Smartmatic [3] [4].
4. Other, smaller defamation dockets and dismissals reported in the period
Not all defamation claims against Fox in this window produced big settlements. Some individual claims were dismissed: for example, a federal judge threw out a 2024 defamation suit by a man who said he received death threats after being falsely tied to the January 6 saga on television [8]. Available sources do not mention the full universe of every small defamation suit against Fox between 2020 and 2025 beyond the high‑profile Dominion and Smartmatic matters [8].
5. Why the Dominion settlement matters to subsequent litigation strategy
The Dominion settlement served as precedent and pressure: it demonstrated both the potential financial exposure for a major network and the discovery leverage plaintiffs can obtain — disclosure of internal communications that plaintiffs say show editorial choices favoring ratings over accuracy [1] [2]. News outlets and legal commentators noted the Dominion outcome likely encouraged Smartmatic and other plaintiffs to press harder, seeking not just money but evidentiary records that could prove “actual malice” [2] [4].
6. Competing narratives and the stakes for press freedom
Fox frames these disputes as First Amendment battles over reporting on newsworthy assertions by public figures; plaintiffs frame them as efforts to hold a major outlet accountable for amplifying demonstrably false claims that caused reputational and safety harms [7] [4]. Observers cite both risks: the chilling effect of big defamation payouts on aggressive reporting, and the risk of a major platform disseminating falsehoods without consequence — a tension reflected in reporting and court filings [1] [4].
7. What to watch next and the limits of current reporting
Into 2025 the key unresolved items were whether Smartmatic’s $2.7 billion claim would go to trial, settle like Dominion, or be resolved on summary judgment — and what internal documents would show about editorial choices [3] [4]. Available sources do not mention final resolution of the Smartmatic case through 2025, nor do they catalogue every lesser claim against Fox in that five‑year window beyond the examples cited here [4] [8].
Limitations: this account draws only on the supplied reporting and court coverage; it does not include materials outside the provided sources and therefore cannot assert outcomes or claims not present in those items [2] [4].