(02-06-2021, 02:12 PM)Lucky2Last Wrote: [ -> ]I will watch those cases closely. I expect to see them drop the prosecution of the case after time passes with no actual evidence coming to light. Everything in the political discourse is first impressions. Very few people follow through.
If you are talking about Smartmatic and Dominion suing Fox News, Giuliani, et al, I think it is very unlikely the plaintiffs will drop these cases. All the evidence of defamation is there, in video form. People said things on TV. That's the evidence.
The plaintiffs are taking these cases to court to clear their names. Their businesses and reputations have been severely harmed.
If this wasn't serious, the defendants would not have started airing disclaimers on their shows a few weeks ago, when they started to realize that they were about to be sued.
In a defamation case, the defendants have several defenses:
They can say they were just telling the truth. But if that is their defense, they have to prove the machines switched votes.
Or they can say they didn't say the machines switched votes. But they did say it, and it's on video for everyone to see.
Or they can say, "Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, et al don't represent Fox News. They have their own shows that do not represent the views of Fox News." I don't think that one will fly.
Or they can say Smartmatic and Dominion are public figures and that exempts them from defamation. But no one knew who Smartmatic and Dominion were until these allegations started to crop up.
With billions of dollars at stake, and loads of evidence on video, no one is dropping anything. Unless, of course, there is a settlement, an undisclosed sum paid, and a public apology.