Dominion requests court to order live testimony from Murdochs in Fox trial

In the ongoing lawsuit against Fox News over alleged defamation, Dominion Voting Systems has requested a Delaware judge to order Rupert Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch, the executive chairman and CEO of Fox Corporation respectively, to testify live in court during the trial scheduled to begin in April. The company has also requested former Speaker of the House and current Fox board member, Paul Ryan, and Fox’s chief legal and policy officer, Viet Dinh, to testify in person. Additionally, Fox News personalities including Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Maria Bartiromo, and Laura Ingraham are set to appear live in court as well.

Dominion Voting Systems is urging a Delaware judge to compel Rupert Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of Fox Corp., respectively, to appear live in court during the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit trial against Fox and its networks. The company is also seeking in-person testimony from Paul Ryan, Fox board member and former speaker of the House, and Viet Dinh, Fox’s chief legal and policy officer. Dominion‘s letter was sent to Judge Eric Davis after he ruled that the lawsuit would go to trial in April. While some of Fox’s top talent, including Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Maria Bartiromo, and Jeanine Pirro, will appear live in court to give their testimonies, Dominion did not initially include the Murdochs on its list for live testimony. Fox had opposed live testimony from Murdoch and other executives, citing the elder Murdoch’s age, but the judge rejected that argument during a hearing last week.

During a previous court appearance, Fox Corp. attorneys argued that the executives’ hours-long depositions were sufficient and that they are not as relevant as other witnesses because the case focuses on Fox News programming. A Fox News spokesperson also criticized Dominion’s live witness list as a ploy to generate headlines and divert attention from the “shortcomings” of its case, emphasizing that the trial revolves around the media’s right to free speech under the First Amendment.

Judge Eric Davis is scheduled to preside over a hearing on Wednesday to address the witness list.