Fox News settles with Venezuelan businessman in electoral defamation case

(CNN) — Fox News has settled a defamation lawsuit by a Venezuelan businessman who accused the network of making false claims regarding him and the 2020 election, the man’s lawyers and Fox News said Saturday in a court filing.

Details of the deal were not made public.

“This matter has been resolved amicably by both parties,” a Fox News spokesman said Sunday, declining to comment further.

After the 2020 election, former Fox Business host Lou Dobbs accused the businessman, Majed Khalil, of playing a key role in alleged election rigging once morest Donald Trump.

In a tweet calling the 2020 election a “cyber Pearl Harbor,” Dobbs named Khalil as one of four people he wanted his public to “get acquainted with” for committing alleged voter fraud.

Fox News is still facing a massive $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems, which is scheduled to go to trial in just days.

Jury selection for the trial begins Thursday and opening statements are scheduled for April 17, unless the two sides agree before then.

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Dominion’s lawsuit once morest Fox News

Dominion had sued Fox News for defamation and says it was maligned by the right-wing network when Fox hosts and guests claimed in 2020 that its voting systems illegally rigged the election once morest Trump.

Fox News has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, said it is “proud” of its 2020 election coverage and argued that Dominion’s lawsuit poses a First Amendment threat.

While Fox’s legal liability will be decided at trial, the case has already damaged Fox’s reputation.

Incriminating text messages and emails have shown how Fox executives, anchors and producers did not believe the claims the network was selling regarding Dominion.

The lawsuit is considered one of the largest defamation cases in recent memory.

Fox has argued that a loss will eviscerate press freedoms, and many academics agree that the bar must remain high to prove defamation.

Other analysts have said that holding Fox accountable for knowingly spreading lies will not pose a threat to objective journalists who would never do that in the first place.

— CNN’s Marshall Cohen and Liam Reilly contributed to this report.