In a notable courtroom victory, Fox News Media and its parent company, Fox Corp, successfully defended against a defamation lawsuit brought by Nina Jankowicz, a former Biden administration official. The lawsuit, which centered on accusations that Fox defamed Jankowicz as a censorship advocate, was dismissed by Chief U.S. District Judge Colm Connolly in Delaware.
Jankowicz, who stepped down from her role at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in May 2022, claimed that Fox’s broadcasts forced her resignation from the Disinformation Governance Board. She alleged that Fox engaged in spreading harmful falsehoods for profit. Fox, however, denied these claims and celebrated the dismissal as a victory for free speech.
The Disinformation Governance Board, established in 2022, faced immediate backlash from conservative critics and was disbanded later that year. Judge Connolly’s ruling highlighted that the contested Fox statements primarily targeted the board itself rather than Jankowicz personally and were likely perceived as protected opinion by viewers.
This legal victory follows Fox Corp’s significant settlement last year, where the company agreed to pay $787.5 million to Dominion Voting Systems over false claims related to the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Despite the setback, Jankowicz’s legal team has expressed their intention to appeal the decision, signaling that the legal battle may not be over.
