A New York appeals court ruled Thursday that Fox Corporation must face Smartmatic’s mammoth defamation lawsuit over the airing of 2020 election lies on Fox News, dealing a blow to the Rupert Murdoch-controlled media giant.

A New York state appeals court on Thursday rejected Fox's bid to dismiss a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit by voting machine company Smartmatic over statements made on air following the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

A New York appeals court has rejected Fox Corp.’s request to toss a $2.7 billion defamation suit from voting machine manufacturer Smartmatic. Smartmatic alleged in a suit that the Fox News parent company “effectively endorsed and participated in” a campaign suggesting that the voting machine company participated in election fraud by manipulating the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The latest ruling represents a key victory for Smartmatic’s efforts to go after the right-wing media outlet over its promotion of debunked claims that the election was stolen from former President