The electronic voting systems maker Smartmatic on Thursday sued Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, and Trump attorney Rudolph Giuliani. The lawsuit claims both the right-wing TV network and the famously frenetic lawyer falsely accused Smartmatic of rigging the 2020 U.S. presidential election in favor of Joe Biden. More at Reuters.
The defamation suit, filed in New York County Supreme Court, also names as defendants former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, Fox Corp and Fox hosts Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro.
Smartmatic alleged Fox and other defendants invented a story that the election was stolen from Trump and made Smartmatic "the villain in their story."
"Fox News used the story to preserve its grip on viewers and readers and curry favors with the outgoing administration," the lawsuit said.
The suit seeks more than $2.7 billion in compensatory and punitive damages. Smartmatic also asks for defendants to retract false statements.
More: Smartmatic sues Fox News, Giuliani over election-rigging claims
