Fox News Seeks Sanctions Against Smartmatic Over Deleted Evidence in $2.7B Defamation Suit

Fox News has accused Smartmatic executives of intentionally deleting critical mobile messages and altering customer records to undermine Fox's defense in Smartmatic's $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit alleging false claims about the 2020 election. According to court filings, nearly two dozen Smartmatic employees deleted data relevant to the case shortly before or during the litigation, with directives allegedly coming from Smartmatic's CEO to erase damaging evidence. Fox is seeking sanctions that could include striking portions of Smartmatic’s damages claims and instructing jurors to presume the deleted evidence would favor Fox. Additionally, Fox obtained access to materials related to a 2024 federal bribery indictment against Smartmatic's president, Roger Piñate Jr., which Fox argues shows that Smartmatic's business suffered before the election-related claims, challenging the basis of Smartmatic's damages. In response, Smartmatic accused Fox News of orchestrating the deletion of text messages by top executives, including Rupert Murdoch, but Fox dismissed this as a distraction from the recent court ruling favoring Fox. The ongoing legal battle highlights serious disputes over evidence integrity and the credibility of damages claims within this high-profile defamation case.