Smartmatic Seeks Access to Murdoch Family Succession Records in Fox Defamation Case

The voting machine company argues sealed Nevada court documents could contradict Fox's claims about editorial independence in its ongoing $2.7 billion lawsuit.

Smartmatic has filed a motion in Nevada probate court to obtain sealed records from the Murdoch family's secret legal battle over media empire succession.
The company believes testimony from the case may undermine Fox's defense that its editorial direction is independent of its ownership structure.
Rupert Murdoch's attempt to alter the family trust to ensure his son Lachlan's control of Fox Corporation was rejected by a probate commissioner, who criticized the move as dishonest and in bad faith.
Fox News previously settled a similar defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million, but Smartmatic's case is set to go to trial next year in New York unless resolved out of court.
Smartmatic alleges that Fox News defamed the company by promoting false claims of election fraud during the 2020 U.S. presidential election.