Media Defamation Litigation

A Manhattan judge will hear arguments Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025 on whether Smartmatic’s $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News should proceed to a full jury trial, with newly cited legal filings including a Jesse Watters text urging Fox to go "ALL in" on Stop the Steal. Fox says Smartmatic’s damages are inflated and that its hosts covered newsworthy claims by the president and his lawyers, while the case draws comparisons to Dominion’s $787.5 million settlement in 2023.