The straight legal answer is that it matters that the Fox News personnel didn't believe the Dominion allegations but aired them anyway. What makes proving defamation so difficult, particularly in the case of matters of public interest, is that it requires actual malice or reckless disregard for the truth. Without that evidence that the Fox News personnel didn't believe Sydney Powell and her allegations, it's a near slam dunk case for Fox to say they were just covering all sides.

My guess with the lawsuit is they were told by a judge or someone in power that they were going to lose and that it would be in their best interest to settle without going to discovery in court and revealing anything more about Dominion. Otherwise, why settle? It's not about legal fees when the settlement is 3/4 billion. Hell the money you save by simply not making the payment NOW is worth it.

They already had discovery -- that's where the internal communications from Fox News personnel were produced. Having reviewed discovery from Dominion, the judge stated it "is crystal clear that none of the statements relating to Dominion about the 2020 election are true." It's very possible they still win. But, it would have been a Delaware jury and a giant spectacle with their stars being brought in to testify. It also works for their general transition from Trump.

The straight legal answer is that it matters that the Fox News personnel didn't believe the Dominion allegations but aired them anyway. What makes proving defamation so difficult, particularly in the case of matters of public interest, is that it requires actual malice or reckless disregard for the truth. Without that evidence that the Fox News personnel didn't believe Sidney Powell and her allegations, it's a near slam dunk case for Fox to say they were just covering all sides.

My guess with the lawsuit is they were told by a judge or someone in power that they were going to lose and that it would be in their best interest to settle without going to discovery in court and revealing anything more about Dominion. Otherwise, why settle? It's not about legal fees when the settlement is 3/4 billion. Hell the money you save by simply not making the payment NOW is worth it.

They already had discovery -- that's where the internal communications from Fox News personnel were produced. Having reviewed discovery from Dominion, the judge stated it "is crystal clear that none of the statements relating to Dominion about the 2020 election are true." It's very possible they still win. But, it would have been a Delaware jury and a giant spectacle with their stars being brought in to testify. It also works for their general transition from Trump.