Overview

• Fox News has filed a motion claiming Smartmatic executives, including its CEO, ordered the deletion of WhatsApp messages and other mobile data relevant to the lawsuit.
• The filing alleges nearly two dozen Smartmatic employees deleted or altered data that Fox argues is critical to challenging the company's $2.7 billion damages claim.
• Fox is requesting sanctions that include striking Smartmatic's lost-profits claims after 2022, limiting damages, and instructing jurors to infer the missing evidence would have supported Fox's defense.
• Smartmatic denies the allegations, asserting it has complied with legal obligations and accusing Fox of retaliatory tactics to distract from its own alleged evidence destruction.
• This development follows Smartmatic's earlier accusation that Fox executives, including Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, orchestrated the deletion of text messages despite a duty to preserve evidence.