Fox News Defamation Trial Start Delayed By Judge

variety.com:

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Rupert Murdoch can breathe easy for at least one more day. The judge overseeing the much-scrutinized defamation trial brought against Fox News and its parent, Fox Corp., has delayed its start by a day, according to a statement issued by Delaware’s Superior Court, where the case is being heard.

The decision is sure to raise speculation that the two sides may be seeking a settlement. “The Court has decided to continue the start of the trial, including jury selection, until Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 9:00 a.m.

I will make such an announcement tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. in Courtroom 7E,” Judge Eric Davis said in a note Sunday evening. A spokeswoman for Dominion declined to comment on the prospect of settlement talks and Fox representatives could not be reached for immediate comment.

Dominion is seeking $1.6 billion in damages. At issue in the jury trial is whether Fox News deliberately amplified conspiracy theories that attributed allegations of vote-rigging in the 2020 presidential election to Dominion, even though many Fox executives and anchors knew full well, or at the very least suspected, they were complete hokum.