The Trial Date Looms for Fox News *

The lawsuit between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems is less than a month away and there are still some issues being played out in court.

Yesterday, Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems meet in court to iron out several issues before their April 17 trial.

This hearing was scheduled months ago to address the summary-judgment motions filed by both Fox and Dominion. While a ruling is not expected on these filings, Tuesday’s hearing may produce new details from depositions that have been redacted, and whose removal could be at the discretion of the Delaware judge overseeing the case.

The filings contain unusually detailed testimony and documents, including admissions by top Fox executives and on-air personalities that the network broadcast election-fraud narratives that they themselves did not believe. However, the focus of Tuesday's hearing will be on the arguments presented by each side to remove the redactions on the other's depositions. Judge Eric M. Davis will rule on these arguments, resulting in the removal of redactions from multiple documents.

In some cases, the redacted bits are simply names or paragraphs, while in others, entire pages of sworn testimony have been blacked out.

Dominion is seeking $1.6 billion in damages for what it claims are defamatory statements made by Fox News about its voting machines in multiple reports, guest segments, and host commentary immediately following the 2020 election.

While an award of $1.6 billion may not be a death-blow to Rupert Murdoch's media empire, it would certainly be a significant amount.

The removal of redactions from previously undisclosed documents may produce new evidence and testimony that could impact the outcome of the trial.