Fox News had planned to use clips of Homer Simpson voting in presidential elections as part of its defense against the $1.6 billion lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems.
Dominion argued Fox News and its top hosts spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 election being rigged despite being aware these claims were false.
The network's legal team planned to present several clips from The Simpsons in court had the case gone to trial.
Four scenes from the classic animated sitcom were submitted as trial exhibits in the defamation lawsuit.
These scenes all showed Homer voting in different presidential elections:
- In Season 20's "Treehouse of Horror XIX," he attempted to cast a ballot for Barack Obama.
- In the promotional short Homer Votes 2012, he voted for Mitt Romney.
- The YouTube short Homer Votes 2016 features Russian President Vladimir Putin disguised as an American voter trying to convince Homer to vote for Donald Trump.
- In Season 32's "Treehouse of Horror XXXI," Homer was uncertain whether to vote for Trump or Biden.
However, that scenario never materialized as Fox News ultimately reached a settlement with Dominion yesterday, just as the case was about to begin, putting an end to the massive two-year legal battle that had badly tarnished the reputation of a right-wing network already well-known for lying and spreading misinformation profusely.
Many were stunned by Fox News' planned defense and accused the network of making a mockery of the legal system.
Fox News paid over $787 million to settle the case, which is now the largest known defamation settlement involving a media company in American history.
The agreement was disclosed after the jury had been sworn in at the Delaware Superior Court.
During the trial, there were rumors that a settlement had been reached, and the proceedings came to a sudden stop for nearly three hours after the lunch break, with no explanation given. Apparently, during that time, the parties were working out the terms of the settlement.
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