Damn. I Was Hooping to See Dirty Laundry Aired.

Dominion Voting Systems had sued Fox News for $1.6 billion, but they settled the defamation lawsuit for $787.5 million.

Unfortunately, this means that we will see no airing of Rupert Murdoch's dirty laundry, and no apology from the folks at Fox News when, and I do mean when, they lost:

Fox and the voting equipment company Dominion reached a US$787.5m settlement in a closely watched defamation lawsuit, ending a dispute over whether the network and its parent company knowingly broadcast false and outlandish allegations that Dominion was involved in a plot to steal the 2020 election.

The settlement came before scheduled opening statements and after an unexpected lengthy delay Tuesday afternoon just after the jury was sworn in. Neither party immediately disclosed the terms of the settlement other than the dollar amount, and attorneys for Dominion declined to answer questions about whether it requires Fox to issue a retraction or a formal apology.

“The parties have resolved their case,” judge Eric Davis told jurors on Tuesday afternoon before excusing them from the courtroom.

In a press conference outside the courthouse, Dominion attorney Justin Nelson said the more than $787m represented “vindication and accountability”. The settlement amount is less than half of the $1.6bn Dominion demanded in its lawsuit.

“Truth matters,” he said. “Lies have consequences. The truth does not know red or blue,” he continued. “People across the political spectrum can and should disagree on issues, even of the most profound importance. But for our democracy to endure another 250 years and hopefully much longer, we must share a commitment to facts.”

Not much in the way of consequences.  It ain't cheap, but definitely falls under the category of, "A cost of doing business."

In a statement, Fox said the settlement reflects its “continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards”.

On what planet does Fox have a, "Continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards?"

There had to be some serious sh%$ that Fox wanted covered up.

Even before trial, Davis had already concluded that Fox’s claims about Dominion were false. “The evidence developed in this civil proceeding demonstrates that is CRYSTAL clear that none of the Statements relating to Dominion about the 2020 election are true,” he wrote in a ruling earlier this month.

The question that would have been before the jury was whether Fox committed “actual malice” in airing the claims. That required Dominion to show whether key decision makers were aware the claims were false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.

Actual malice is tough to prove, but Fox was guilty as hell.  I get why Dominion was going for the bird in the hand, but I really wanted to see Fox nailed to the proverbial wall.