Dominion is suing six others for defamation including Rudy Giuliani, Newsmax, and OANN

The settlement agreement between Fox and Dominion Voting Systems on Tuesday was designed to send a message to those promoting bogus election claims and conspiracy theories in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.

While the high-profile defamation case netted an eye-watering $787.5 million against Fox, the Colorado-based company is far from done with its quest for exact financial damages.

Based on court documents, six more defamation lawsuits are pending: right-wing networks Newsmax and One America News Network (OANN) and Trump loyalists Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Mike Lindell and Patrick Byrne.

“I think it’s a big step forward in democracy if our system can send a signal that if media companies are lying – whoever they are or what channel they are on – and they do it knowingly, they will be willing to to pay a fine. very high price,” John Poulos, the voice technology company’s CEO, told Good Morning America on Wednesday.

REMAINING DOMINION LAWSUITS

Newsmax: Colorado-based Dominion Voting Systems was targeted by former President Donald Trump and his allies, filed a complaint against Newsmax in Delaware state court in August 2021, finding that the news outlet had “created an entire brand by defaming the company” .

OANN: U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols has cleared Dominion’s lawsuit against One America News Network (OANN) and is expected to go to trial in 2024. , and “helped create and cultivate an alternate reality where … Dominion engaged in colossal fraud.”

Rudy Giuliani: A federal judge refused to dismiss a libel suit against Trump’s formal personal attorney after the voting machine company sued him in January 2021, claiming he[d] himself by falsely claiming that Dominion set the election.” Giuliani and others have alleged widespread Democratic election conspiracy involving multiple states and suspicious voting machines.

Sidney Powell: The conservative and controversial attorney remains a staunch supporter of Trump, though she was dropped from his legal team after making false statements about the voting process and promising to “blow up” Georgia with a “biblical lawsuit.” Dominion is seeking $1.3 billion in damages for spreading false fraud claims in the 2020 election.

Mike Lindell: Denver-based Dominion separately sued Lindell and MyPillow for defamation in federal court, alleging that the CEO “sells the lie” about the company’s voting machines “because the lie sells pillows.”

Patrick Byrne: The CEO of Overstock is being charged with “manufacturing and promoting fake evidence to convince the world that the 2020 election was stolen” using Dominion voting machines. A U.S. district judge ruled that “a reasonable jury could find that Byrne acted with actual malice” in spreading demonstrably false claims about Dominion.

Trump’s former personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, is being charged with spreading untruths about the 2020 election fraud.

NewsMaxTV, owned by Christopher Ruddy, is being sued by Dominion for promoting debunked conspiracy theories about voter fraud during the 2020 election.

One America News Network (OANN) is also being sued by Dominion Voting Systems for $1.7 billion for defamation

The voice technology company is also suing Sidney Powell, a former member of President Donald Trump’s legal team, for spreading false claims that the company helped steal Trump’s US presidential election.

MyPillow Mike Lindell is also being sued by Dominion for defamation of their voting machines

Patrick M. Byrne, chairman and chief executive officer of Overstock.com, also made untrue allegations of voter fraud.

WHAT IS THE TIMELINE?

Don’t expect Dominion’s cases against Powell, Giuliani and Lindell until mid-2024, as a scheduling order sets a February 2024 hearing to discuss possible trial dates. Other cases against Byrne and OANN are not expected until next year based on their current schedules.

WHAT’S AT SAME?

The voice technology company is seeking $1.6 billion – each – from three of the plaintiffs: Newsmax, OANN and Byrne. Lawsuits against Powell, Giuliani and Lindell are slightly lower: $1.3 billion in damages.

IMPORTANT BACKGROUND

Dominion Voting Systems sued Fox for $1.6 billion, alleging that the news outlet repeatedly made allegations that the company’s 2020 voting machines were rigged against Trump, knowing the allegations were untrue.

Fox argued that it was reporting newsworthy allegations from supporters of the Republican president. The network said it was legally backed by libel standards.

Referring to the other lawsuits against Trump allies that the company is still pursuing, Poulos said, “We will pursue all of them.”

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

In a 1964 case involving The New York Times, the U.S. Supreme Court limited the ability of public figures to sue for libel.

The court ruled that plaintiffs had to prove that news outlets published or broadcast false material with “actual malice” — knowing that such material was false or acting with a “reckless disregard” for whether it was true or not.

That has provided news organizations with solid protection against defamation judgments.

Yet the nearly six-decade legal standard has come under attack in recent years from some conservatives, including Trump and Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who have argued to make it easier to win a libel suit.