: Viet Dinh, Fox’s top legal officer and architect of Dominion Voting case defense, gets new role

This post was originally published on this site

Fox Corp.’s chief legal and policy officer Viet Dinh, the leader of the media giant’s effort to defend itself in the Dominion Voting Systems defamation case, will leave that position and become a special adviser to the company effective Dec. 31, the company said Friday.

The Dominion case, in which the vote-counting company accused Fox News of airing false claims that its technology helped rig the 2020 presidential election in favor of Joe Biden, resulted in a record $787.5 million settlement paid by Fox. The media company argued it was covering newsworthy election-fraud claims.

Related: Fox’s settlement with Dominion is unlikely to actually cost $787.5 million

Dinh assumed the role of Fox’s
FOXA,
+0.32%

FOX,
+0.56%

chief legal and policy officer in 2018, leading its legal, compliance and regulatory matters, as well as overseeing lobbying efforts. But he had served the company in various capacities for more than two decades.

“I have been privileged to be part of the Fox family for over two decades as a director and officer, and I have especially treasured my relationships with Rupert [Murdoch], Lachlan [Murdoch] and our talented colleagues over the years,” Dinh said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing with Fox as special adviser, and to returning to my roots of working on multiple ventures and with many clients across a variety of disciplines.”

Before joining Fox, Dinh was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis, which acquired Bancroft PLLC, a leading Supreme Court and high-stakes litigation firm that Dinh founded. He was a Georgetown University law professor for 20 years and U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Legal Policy from 2001 to 2003.

Fox’s A shares are up nearly 14% in the year to date. The S&P 500
SPX
is up 16% in the same timespan.

Fox Corp. and MarketWatch parent News Corp
NWSA,
+4.58%

NWS,
+4.73%

 share common ownership.