Robyn MooreApr 19, 2023
Dan Gillmor
The Murdochs have bought their way out of everything, and they've bought their way out of the Dominion suit, too. It was probably inevitable, but it's reason for disgust, too.
Apr 18, 2023 at 8:25pmWeb
Show threadKevin Karhan Apr 18, 2023

@dangillmor The fact that one can buyout of cases is a problem.

Because it means that certain things are only illegal for poor people.

Show threadYai TorresApr 18, 2023

@kkarhan @dangillmor I don't know much about law, but wouldn't this still be a significant court precedent? While it's true that no one is getting convicted, they would be more exposed to it in a future case. This settlement could also encourage other parties to try to drain more money (and maybe even get a guilty verdict) out of them too.

**Updated for clarity**

Show threadKevin Karhan Apr 18, 2023

@yaitorr @dangillmor I'm not a lawyer and my posts are #NotLegalAdvice...

So OFC mileage may vary...

Show threadBigsmiffyApr 18, 2023

@yaitorr @kkarhan @dangillmor

780 million

No non disclosure agreement. Fox admitted in the settlement statement that falsehoods were told on air

Not exactly no penalty

.

Show threadYai TorresApr 18, 2023
@bigsmiffy @kkarhan @dangillmor indeed. What I meant to say was “conviction.” They certainly got penalized.
Show threadJeffApr 20, 2023

@yaitorr @bigsmiffy @kkarhan @dangillmor ? It’s a civil suit. No one gets convicted and it generally comes down to paying money. A settlement just means Fox and Dominion agreed to skip the hassle of the trial and get to the part where fox pays them a pile of money (I did want to see a trial).

Fox was never going to have to pay 1.5B. There were two basic claims that added up to that, but they were mutually exclusive and wound never have had to pay both.

Show threadJeffApr 20, 2023

@yaitorr @bigsmiffy @kkarhan @dangillmor also it never would have set any legal preferment in it. Not unless someone else can sue for defaming Dominion since those were the basis of the suit.

A settlement works more like pleading no contest in traffic court. They may not have to admit fault and no one can use the settlement against them for anything.

Show threadKevin Karhan Apr 20, 2023
@vctrsigma @yaitorr @bigsmiffy @dangillmor basically a reverse, out-of-court version of "not given"....
Show threadBlueDotAZApr 18, 2023
@bigsmiffy @yaitorr @kkarhan @dangillmor but what we needed was Fox forced to publicly admit to their viewers that they lied. This is just a nice payday for Dominion. Exceeding disappointed.
Show threadYai TorresApr 18, 2023
@cujobyte @bigsmiffy @kkarhan @dangillmor They will always find a way to spin the truth, especially when you consider their core audience and institutional experience doing it. In corporate America, money talks. Penalties such as those imposed have higher chances of moving the needle in favor of truth. The more money flushes down the toilet for them, the less they're incentivized to keep doing what they do.
Show threadBlueDotAZApr 19, 2023
@yaitorr @bigsmiffy @kkarhan @dangillmor I fear this isn’t enough to move the needle. But we’ll see.
Show threadKevin Karhan Apr 19, 2023

@cujobyte @yaitorr @bigsmiffy @dangillmor actually, no.

#FoxNews isn't obligated to anything beyond ceasing and decisting in the future.

They ain't even forced to admit kowingly lying to the public - something they legally fought for to be their "right" over a decade ago!

That's not even an effective SLAPP, but a mere "don't do this again" warning.

The real winners are the lawyers cashing in a few % of the sum - like a #ClassAction.

Show threadKevin Karhan Apr 19, 2023

@cujobyte @yaitorr @bigsmiffy @dangillmor

Or as some people will point out again:

"If the penalty for wrongdoing is a payment then it's only illegal for the poor!"

Thus #classism prevails...
https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/3/21120476/jeff-bezos-washington-dc-renovate-apartment-home-parking-tickets

Jeff Bezos paid more than $16,000 in parking tickets while renovating his DC mansion

News organization WUSA9 found that people racked up more than $16,000 in parking tickets on the street outside Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ new Washington, DC mansion.

The Verge
Show threadBarry GoldmanApr 19, 2023
@kkarhan @dangillmor i hav understood this to be the case since childhood.
Show threadClaire JamesonApr 18, 2023
@dangillmor There may be other terms.
Show threadMark Squires Apr 18, 2023
@dangillmor Too late, though, as much of the evidence seeped out. We'll also see to what extent there are confidentiality clauses. If I were Dominion I would not have agreed to one.
Show threadDavid PeningtonApr 18, 2023
@dangillmor
Fox said the settlement reflects its “continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards”
Hilarious.
They had damaged their case badly & settled for 2/3rds of Dominion's revised claim.
One motive: there's another voting machine company suing Fox for defamation.
Show threadVoronApr 18, 2023
@dangillmor So, when do we decide obscene levels of wealth and how our system deals with it, is a massive problem?
Show threadThelmadonnaApr 19, 2023
@voron @dangillmor Yesterday would be good. Still buying and selling from/on Amazon, subscribing to Prime and WaPo? That is not exactly sticking it to the man.
Show threadGATEKEEPERApr 18, 2023
@dangillmor
It's a months income.
Show threadpeterlie2Apr 18, 2023
@dangillmor Dominion is owned by private equity. Private equity always has a number, and pretty much only a number. IMO.
Show threadSuziApr 18, 2023
@dangillmor so disappointed in Dominion
Show threadNicole ParsonsApr 18, 2023

@dangillmor

Fox News remains a risk to democracy, thanks to this settlement.

Republican billionaire donors needed to preserve the existence of Fox News in the prelude to the 2024 elections.

These same individuals spent nearly a billion dollars to buy a "red wave" in the 2022 midterms.

They are willing to spend another billion dollars to keep Fox News in play and stop Republican voters from ever knowing the truth.

Show threadBuster McNuttApr 18, 2023

@dangillmor

Dominion sued them for money, and got money.

What am I missing?

Show threadSteven MolnarApr 18, 2023
@dangillmor I don't understand your reasoning. They settled for about half of what was asked, and people always sue for more than they expect to get. So, they bought their way out of paying roughly what they would have had to pay by paying it?
Show threadJames GlueckApr 19, 2023
@dangillmor way past f***ing time to: #taxbillionaires