A New York state appeals court rejected Fox Corp. bid to throw out a defamation lawsuit by Smartmatic over false claims that the voting technology company helped rig the 2020 presidential election. The ruling on Thursday allows the case to proceed toward trial.

A New York appellate court declined to toss Fox Corp. from Smartmatic’s $2.7 billion defamation case. Smartmatic sued Fox News and Fox Corp. following the 2020 presidential election, claiming that on-air personalities and guests amplified false claims that it was involved in rigging the ballots.

The latest ruling represents a key victory for Smartmatic’s efforts to go after the right-wing media outlet over its promotion of debunked claims that the election was stolen from former President

In its initial 2024 complaint, Smartmatic accused Fox News of making “over 100 false statements and implications” about the company. Judges wrote this week that Smartmatic's claims that Fox News ran “a disinformation campaign in [its] post-election coverage” were enough to warrant a trial.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York state appeals court on Thursday rejected Fox's bid to dismiss a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit by voting machine company Smartmatic over statements made on air following the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

A New York state appeals court rejected Fox's bid to dismiss a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit by voting machine company Smartmatic

The complaint, which arose out of Fox News’s promotion of vote-rigging conspiracy theories after the 2020 U.S. presidential election, is on track to proceed to trial.