Smartmatic Reportedly Moves to Unseal Murdoch Family Succession Drama As Part of Defamation Suit Against Fox News
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Smartmatic, a voting machine manufacturer suing Fox News over 2020 election claims, is reportedly trying to get its hands on court documents related to a family battle over the future of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.
CNN – citing a source close to the drama – reported the company believes such documents could bolster its defamation case against Fox.
Smartmatic is suing America’s most-watched cable news network and its parent company over claims made about its voting machines and software on the air after the 2020 election. Fox News previously settled a similar lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems for 787 million dollars.
The CNN report noted that the highly publicized court battle involving Murdoch and his family mirrored that of the HBO drama series Succession has been underway in Nevada. Attorneys for Smartmatic reportedly believe information from the real-life, secret family legal drama could help them in court.
In particular, per CNN’s source, Smartmatic believes docs from the family fight over a family trust “might contradict past assertions in the 2020 election litigation, where Fox claimed control of the parent company doesn’t impact the editorial direction of Fox News.” CNN reported:
The voting technology company wants to examine sealed documents from the family fight that it thinks will bolster its defamation lawsuit against Fox, according to a source familiar with recent filings in the Murdoch trust case. The source said these documents could include transcripts of depositions or trial testimony from media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his and family members, who control Fox’s parent company
[…]
The Murdoch family has battled over succession in compete secrecy in a Reno court. Earlier this month, a probate commissioner rejected an attempt by Murdoch, 93, to retool the irrevocable family trust so his most conservative son, Lachlan, could singularly lead Fox Corporation after his death, instead of sharing power with his three siblings as planned.
Smartmatic is suing Fox News and its parent company Fox Corp. over comments made on the network alleging the 2020 election was rigged against now President-elect Donald Trump. The company – which is asking for $2.7 billion – has said those comments and others made on Newsmax TV and One America News harmed its reputation.
Fox has denied any wrongdoing.
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