A defamation lawsuit brought by Nina Jankowicz, a former official in the Biden administration, against Fox News Media and its parent company, Fox Corp, was dismissed on Monday. Chief U.S. District Judge Colm Connolly in Delaware ruled that Jankowicz, who stepped down from her role at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in May 2022, failed to substantiate her claims of defamation.
Jankowicz had filed the lawsuit last year, alleging that Fox's broadcasts had forced her to resign from the Disinformation Governance Board, accusing the network of spreading malicious falsehoods for profit. Fox, which denied the allegations, expressed satisfaction with the ruling, describing the lawsuit as a politically motivated attempt to stifle free speech.
The judge noted that the majority of the statements in question were directed at the Disinformation Governance Board rather than Jankowicz personally and would likely be perceived as protected opinion by viewers. He highlighted the board's controversial nature since its inception, characterizing its mission as a form of censorship.
Following the announcement of the board's formation in 2022, it quickly became a focal point of political controversy, especially among conservative critics of Joe Biden. The administration halted the board's activities in May 2022, eventually dissolving it later that year.
Jankowicz's legal team has announced plans to appeal the ruling.
Fox Corp previously settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million. This case involved accusations that Fox News had propagated false claims about Dominion's voting machines being part of a conspiracy to rig the 2020 presidential election. As part of the settlement, Fox acknowledged the court's findings that certain claims about Dominion were false.
