Fox Corp. Chief Legal And Policy Officer Viet Dinh To Leave Exec Post For Advisory Role
11.08.2023 - 21:41
/ deadline.com
Viet Dinh, a key strategic and business leader at Fox Corp. and a longtime consiglieri in the Murdoch empire, is leaving his executive post in the wake of the Fox News settlement with Dominion Voting Systems.
Dinh will step down as Chief Legal and Policy Officer on December 31 and become a “special advisor” to the company, Fox said in a press release issued Friday after the close of trading.
Dinh came aboard 21st Century Fox in 2018 just before Disney acquired most of the company, leaving a clutch of TV-focused assets that took on the corporate name Fox Corp. Working closely with CEO Lachlan Murdoch, he played a significant role in guiding Fox’s path, handling all legal, compliance and regulatory matters as well as overseeing government affairs.
In steering Fox’s legal strategy, Dinh was a key management figure as Fox News faced a trial in Dominion’s defamation lawsuit over coverage of the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. Fox settled the case for $787.5 million last spring, just as the trial was to begin. But the resolution came after the release of embarrassing discovery material, and the company continues to face another lawsuit from another election systems company, Smartmatic.
Dinh will get a $23 million lump-sum cash severance payment and then will be paid $2.5 million a year for his advisory services through 2025, Fox disclosed in an SEC filing.
“We appreciate Viet’s many contributions and service to Fox as both a board member of 21st Century Fox and in his role over the last five years as a valued member of Fox’s leadership team,” Murdoch said. “We are grateful that he will continue to serve Fox as Special Advisor where we will benefit from his counsel.”
In addition to his current exec stint, Dinh