Former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson has revealed why she asked Dominion Voting Systems on Sunday not to settle a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News.
The voting technology company reached a $787.5 million settlement with the right-wing network on Tuesday, the same day the case was due to go to trial.
“As someone who also has a very high-profile lawsuit against the former CEO and chairman of Fox News, Roger Ailes, is someone who has been silent because of that — [not] can tell the whole truth of what really happened to me – you know, I live through Dominion and I hope that they will understand,” Carlson told CNN’s Anderson Cooper in an interview Wednesday.
On Sunday night, amid swirling reports that Fox News was making a last-minute push to settle the case out of court, Carlson tweeted: “PLEASE Dominion – Don’t settle with Fox! You’re about to prove something big.”
Carlson left the network in 2016 and later accepted a reported $20 million settlement over sexual harassment allegations against CEO Ailes. He accepted an apology from the network, but had to sign a nondisclosure agreement that prevented him from discussing many details about the case and what he went through.
In a statement on Tuesday’s settlement, Fox News vaguely acknowledged that it had aired “certain claims” about Dominion that were false, though it did not apologize and continued to say the settlement was a reflection of its “commitment to the highest journalistic standards.”
Carlson said he wasn’t surprised by the results.
Asked why he believes media companies are entrenched, he said: “I think they see the writing on the wall.”
“The judge had some decisions during the hearing that he didn’t like,” he said. “And it might be jury makeup. I mean, remember the jury is already sitting, and they might not like what they see.
“And also, I think they don’t want their top host to be … media fodder for five or six weeks under oath,” he added.
Dominion has sued for $1.6 billion, accusing Fox News of defrauding them by promoting a lie that its election equipment was partially responsible for the defeat of former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, despite knowing the allegations were untrue.