By Helen Coster

(Reuters) -A decide in Delaware on Sunday delayed by in the future the beginning of the trial in a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Techniques towards Fox Corp over the community’s protection of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, a courthouse spokesperson stated.

“The Courtroom has determined to proceed the beginning of the trial, together with jury choice, till Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. (1300 GMT),” stated Decide Eric Davis, in response to the assertion, which didn’t present a cause for the delay.

“I’ll make such an announcement tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. in Courtroom 7E,” he added.

Davis had stated on Thursday he anticipated to conclude jury choice on Monday and to proceed to opening statements.

Dominion and Fox didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark in regards to the delay.

The trial is without doubt one of the most carefully watched U.S. defamation instances in years, involving a number one cable information outlet with quite a few conservative commentators.

Dominion has accused Fox of ruining its status by airing baseless claims that its machines secretly modified votes in favor of Democrat Joe Biden, who defeated then-President Donald Trump, a Republican, within the 2020 presidential election.

Dominion is asking for $1.6 billion in damages, a determine Fox has stated is unrealistic and primarily based on flawed financial modeling.

An skilled report commissioned by Dominion attributed scores of misplaced contracts to Fox’s protection, although a lot of the report stays underneath seal.

Fox Corp reported almost $14 billion in annual income final 12 months.

Dominion has stated Fox’s conduct was damaging to American democracy and that the community should be held accountable, whereas Fox stated on Friday that Dominion’s lawsuit was a menace to press freedom.

“Whereas Dominion has pushed irrelevant and deceptive info to generate headlines, Fox Information stays steadfast in defending the rights of a free press,” Fox stated in a press release.

The first query for jurors is whether or not Fox knowingly unfold false info or recklessly disregarded the reality, the usual of “precise malice” that Dominion should present to prevail in a defamation case.

Dominion says defamatory statements have been aired on Fox reveals together with “Sunday Morning Futures,” “Lou Dobbs Tonight” and “Justice with Decide Jeanine.”

Dominion alleges that Fox employees, starting from members of the newsroom to the board of administrators, knew the statements have been false however continued to air them to keep away from dropping viewers to far-right retailers.

Fox had argued that protection of the vote-rigging claims was inherently newsworthy and guarded by the U.S. Structure’s First Modification assure of press freedom.

Davis rejected that argument in a ruling final month on each events’ competing motions for abstract judgment.

Fox has additionally stated that Dominion can not pin precise malice on the people whom Dominion says have been answerable for the defamatory statements.