Rupert Murdoch was saved from taking the stand when Fox News agreed to "the largest publicly disclosed payout to settle a media libel case in the US" on Tuesday, per the Guardian. Dominion Voting Systems, which accused Fox of knowingly spouting false claims that its systems were used to tamper in the 2020 election, planned to call the Fox Corporation chairman and News Corp executive chairman to the stand as its second witness in the defamation trial, which the last-minute $787.5 million settlement prevented, per the Guardian and Washington Post. Murdoch, whose deposition proved problematic, was "inclined to settle the matter financially," according to the Post. More:
- Murdoch's deposition "promised a bonanza for Dominion's lawyers" as the 92-year-old had said he wasn't involved in decisions about Fox's coverage, yet internal communications uncovered by Dominion "showed his executives relaying his coverage wishes," per the Post.
- Murdoch's son Lachlan, who serves as Fox's chief executive, was also expected to appear as a witness, as were Fox hosts Tucker Carlson, Maria Bartiromo, Sean Hannity, and Jeanine Pirro. That was likely to prove embarrassing for Fox, as internal communications indicated each were aware the claims broadcast were false, per the Guardian.