Defamation case against Duchess of Sussex by her half-sister dismissed by judge

Judges in the New York Court Of Appeals seemed to be erring towards classifying producer Dr Luke as a public figure at a hearing yesterday, which would have a big impact on his ongoing defamation lawsuit against Kesha. Though his lawyer urged the judges not to equate having a profile within the music industry with being a public figure.Luke’s defamation lawsuit against Kesha is all that remains of what began as a multi-layered multi-state legal battle which was kickstarted when Kesha accused Luke of rape.

About 15 minutes after the surprise settlement with Fox, Dominion’s lead attorney Justin Nelson stood before a horde of reporters waiting for any details on how the case was resolved.

Fox has admitted telling lies, the company CEO John Poulos says in press conference.Fox Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch had been scheduled to be among the first witnesses in the trial, which legal analysts said was tilted heavily against the media company.

First Amendment implications.Fox is accused of defaming Dominion’s immediately following the 2020 presidential election, when some of the network’s guests and hosts suggested that the Denver company’s voting machines had been hacked or compromised. The network has stridently denied any wrongdoing, saying it was merely reporting what was being said by newsmakers – including Donald Trump and his shrinking circle of lawyers, including Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani – who were pushing the unfounded claims.Dominion scored a series of early victories in discovery and pre-trial filings, from embarrassing revelations about behind-the-scenes discord at the network’s promotion of zany election conspiracy theorists down to the sloppy “discovery misconduct” of Fox’s lawyers on the eve of trial.

Dominion Voting Systems is dropping claims of “lost profit damages” from its defamation case against Fox News, but maintains that its $1.6 billion claim stands, and that any change is just a matter of legal semantics.For a completely different spin on that, we head over to Fox News – which says the subtle change means Dominion has “finally admitted” that its initial damages claim was inflated, and that the shift amounts to a reduction in its ask by “more than half a billion dollars.”But the Denver-based company on Monday told TheWrap that it is still seeking $1.6 billion for what it says are defamatory statements by the conservative cable network after the 2020 presidential election: “The damages claim remains,” Dominion told TheWrap. “As Fox well knows, our damages exceed $1.6B.”Fox initially reported the adjustment in a Sunday court filing seeking clarity on an evidentiary matter, saying Dominion communicated that it had taken “more than a half a billion dollars” off its damages claim.

EXCLUSIVE: NBC earlier this week picked up all six Wolf Entertainment series, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime, for next season. The renewals came with an asterisk as casts were told that they will appear in fewer episodes next year, I hear.

“Chicago” and “Law & Order” franchise creator and producer Dick Wolf has extended his overall television deal with NBCUniversal, signing a two-year deal extension with Universal Television, meaning he will remain with the company until 2027. Previously, the procedural producer had signed a pre-pandemic pact in 2020 that promised three-season renewals for his shows.

as a major contributor to the pile of examples Dominion says were defamatory; he also challenged the notion that Fox top brass had “no control” over guests and narratives presented on cable’s most-watched network.Though it might seem like Davis has only been dealing losses to Fox, he has agreed with them on one major point: That the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, which happened after the alleged defamation, is not relevant, and should not be discussed at any length, in part because it could “prejudice” the jury against the network.But Davis’ skepticism around the “newsworthiness” argument, which Fox has been repeatedly signaling it would pursue, could be an issue for Fox attorneys.

Emily Longeretta Despite the many changes in the One Chicago world, “Chicago Fire,” Chicago P.D.” and “Chicago Med” have all been renewed, NBC announced on Monday. Dick Wolf’s procedurals have been a major staple on NBC since debuting with “Chicago Fire,” a spinoff of “Law & Order: SVU,” in 2012. In the fall, the firefighter drama will air its eleventh season, while “Chicago P.D.” will air Season 11 and “Chicago Med” will air Season 9. All three shows, produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment, stream the next day on Peacock. Over the last year, the One Chicago universe has gone through a great deal of changes, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. “Fire” co-creator and co-showrunner Derek Haas will be exiting at the end of the current season, stepping away from Wolf Entertainment. Additionally on “Fire,” Taylor Kinney is on a temporary leave of absence from the show due to a personal matter. He made his last appearance during the Feb. 22 episode.

NBC has renewed all six of its Dick Wolf-produced shows including the One Chicago franchise — Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. — and the trio of Law & Order dramas — the mothership series, Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime — for the 2023-2024 season.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor As Fox Corp. prepares to fight a looming and high-profile defamation case, it has agreed to settle another. The company, which owns Fox News, has reached a confidential agreement to resolve a defamation case levied against it by Venezuelan businessman Majed Khalil that alleged Fox News and former host Lou Dobbs had harmed Khalil’s reputation by stating he and three others developed programs and machines to rig the 2020 presidential election. “This matter has been resolved amicably by both sides. We have no further comment,” Fox News said in a statement after being contacted by Variety. A letter filed Saturday to Judge Louis L. Stanton of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York informed authorities that the parties in the case “have reached a confidential agreement to resolve this matter. The parties anticipate filing a joint stipulation of dismissal with prejudice early next week.”

Meghan Markle's half-sister Samantha, 58, is attempting to sue the Duchess once again after a previous lawsuit, in which she alleged defamation and "injurious falsehood", was thrown out by a judge. Samantha, who is 17 years older than Meghan, has made several bold claims about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Here is a look back at some of those claims.

We’re taking the case! When it comes to must-see police dramas and cop shows, fans have a lot to choose from — including Law & Order: Special Victim Unit and Chicago P.D.

A US court has dismissed a defamation case brought against the Duchess of Sussex by her half-sister, Samantha Markle.The Duchess was accused of spreading “demonstrably false and malicious lies” to a “worldwide audience” in the royal couple’s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. On Thursday, a Florida judge dismissed the lawsuit though, saying the former Suits actress was expressing “an opinion about her childhood and her relationship with her half-sibling” and a statement of pure opinion was “not capable of being proved false”.

The Fox News-Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit is going to trial.A judge denied granting a summary judgement Friday to Fox News. The cable network was attempting to get Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit thrown out.

 Unless Rupert Murdoch and Fox News settle soon, Dominion Voting Systems will have its day in court in its defamation case against the combative conservative cable newser.

Meghan Markle scored a small victory in court, after a judge sided with her in her half-sister, Samantha Markle's, defamation lawsuit against the Duchess of Sussex. But Samantha's lawyer is saying not so fast, telling ET the legal fight is not over.According to court documents, obtained by ET, United States District Judge Charlene Honeywell in the Middle District of Florida ruled in favor of Meghan after she dismissed with prejudice the majority of claims in the lawsuit, specifically pertained to the 2020 book, .Samantha had previously claimed in her lawsuit, filed in February, that Meghan «published and disseminated false and malicious statements» in that book, but the judge shot down the claims, saying «it is undisputed that [Meghan] did not publish» the book. The judge also dismissed the rest of Samantha's claims without prejudice, meaning she can re-file her lawsuit if she so chooses, and her lawyer,  Jamie A.

A royal victory. Meghan Markle has won the defamation lawsuit filed against her by half-sister Samantha Markle.

It’s a good day to be Meghan Markle!

Samantha Markle, it was revealed today. The Duchess of Sussex was accused of spreading 'demonstrably false and malicious lies' to a 'worldwide audience' in the royal couple's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. But a Florida judge has dismissed the lawsuit, saying the former Suits actress was expressing 'an opinion about her childhood and her relationship with her half-sibling' and a statement of pure opinion was 'not capable of being proved false'.