(NewsNation) — According to reports, Fox News said on-air personalities Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Maria Bartiromo will be made available to testify when Dominion Voting System’s defamation lawsuit against the network goes to trial.
In a letter obtained by Reuters and filed Tuesday in Delaware Superior Court, Fox said the hosts are among almost a dozen people the network will make available at the trial.
NewsNation media contributor Colby Hall said seeing Fox talent and executives taking the stand would be “fascinating.”
“It will be a spectacle of spectacles,” Hall said during an appearance on NewsNation’s “Rush Hour.” “I think it seems to be a really influential trial of the century that will inform the way that, you know, political media will have guidelines moving forward.”
Fox’s witness list also reportedly includes host Jeanine Pirro and former host Lou Dobbs. Bret Baier and Dana Perino could also be called to the stand. Rupert Murdoch is not on the witness list, but The New York Times reports the judge overseeing the case could force the father-and-son team of Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert and CEO Lachlan Murdoch to testify in person.
“They’re really powerful and very wealthy. They’re not used to be being pushed back on or cross-examined, so it will be really interesting to see how they address questions and push back. We could see some frustration, especially when it comes to Rupert Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch,” Hall said.
In the case, Dominion hopes to prove that Fox News damaged its reputation by airing false claims by former President Donald Trump that the company’s voting machines were used to steal the 2020 election.
Dominion is suing Fox for $1.6 billion. They claim Fox knew allegations against them were “outlandish” and “crazy,” but still used “its platform to promote that false story.”
Fox previously insisted the case is about First Amendment protections and claims they were trying to cover newsworthy developments. The network said they “will continue to fiercely advocate for the rights of free speech and a free press.”
Hall believes Fox could end up reaching a settlement with Dominion before the trial.
“I believe that it’s 50/50 that it happens,” he said. “Because I believe it’s all posture and positioning. It’s always on the eve of the trial when a settlement arises. Fox News has the cash. They’ll pay the cash to keep the embarrassment of their CEO and on-air talent from being examined. I think there’s still a decent chance that that happens,” Hall said.
The jury trial is scheduled to begin on April 17 and is expected last about a month.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.