Posted on 02/09/21
| News Source: Washington Examiner
Fox News’s legal team moved to end Smartmatic’s multibillion-dollar defamation lawsuit, citing the First Amendment.
The network filed a motion to dismiss the voting software company’s $2.7 billion lawsuit on Monday, arguing that the complaint aims to “stifle debate and chill vital First Amendment activities.” Smartmatic alleges that the network engaged in a “disinformation campaign,” which involved giving air time to claims about voting machines and software being involved in election fraud.
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Paul Clement, of Kirkland & Ellis Partner, filed the motion on the network’s behalf and said in a statement, “This suit strikes at the heart of the First Amendment. Smartmatic’s theory is fundamentally incompatible with the reality of the modern news network and deeply rooted principles of free speech law.”
A spokesperson for the network called the lawsuit “meritless,” adding, “If the First Amendment means anything, it means that Fox cannot be held liable for fairly reporting and commenting on competing allegations in a hotly contested and actively litigated election. We are proud of our election coverage which stands in the highest tradition of American journalism.”
Read more at Washington Examiner.