In a recent turn of events, former Fox News Chief Legal and Policy Officer, Viet Dinh, is reportedly shifting blame for the massive $787.5 million settlement with Dominion. Dinh stepped down from his role at Fox in late 2023, amidst Fox’s turbulent handling of Big Lie coverage.
Dinh reportedly held the supreme court responsible for saving Fox, expressing confidence that they would intervene if entities defamed on Fox, such as Dominion, decided to assert their legal rights. This flawed strategy resulted in a settlement to the tune of $787.5 million, with additional potential liabilities still pending.
Speaking at Harvard Law School earlier this week, Dinh claimed that Fox’s legal troubles were the result of someone else’s mistakes. He asserted that despite being positioned to lose the trial, they were confident of prevailing on appeal. He likened his situation to being thwarted by surprise, akin to the villain in a Scooby-Doo episode.
Dinh drew attention to cases where drawn-out litigation resulted in costly settlements to avoid high-impact but low-risk cases, drawing a parallel to media outlets who decided to settle with the Covington Catholic kid despite the eventual dismissal of those suits. However, Dinh omitted key distinctions – Fox’s settlement far exceeded the settlements in similar cases, and it was public knowledge. Most importantly, Fox was facing other defamation suits related to the same issue while settling at 60 cents on the dollar.
Dinh was highly critical of the Delaware civil justice system, implying that the system’s fundamental fairness and integrity were in question. He was critical of the judge, arguing that Fox was given overly broad access to internal communications and subsequently ‘opted to settle’ due to it being a ‘business decision’. But, reports suggest that Fox employees knew the validity of the claims, which formed the crux of the lawsuit.
In conclusion, the ripple effects from the $787.5 million Dominion-Fox settlement are still unfolding, with Dinh at the center of the controversy. Despite his version of events, the legal fraternity, and the public remain unconvinced that the blame lies anywhere other than with the network and its legal team.