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.

A New York appeals court ruled Thursday that Fox Corporation must face Smartmatic’s mammoth defamation lawsuit over the airing of 2020 election lies on Fox News, dealing a blow to the Rupert Murdoch-controlled media giant.

Fox Corp, the parent of Fox News Network, failed to convince a New York state appeals court to dismiss a defamation claim in electronic voting systems company Smartmatic's $2.7 billion lawsuit over the network's 2020 post-election coverage.

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

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.

A New York state appeals court rejected Fox's bid to dismiss a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit by voting machine company Smartmatic over statements made on air after the 2020 U.S. presidential election,