Judge in Dominion lawsuit appoints 'special master,' sanctions Fox News for concealing evidence

Jury selection in the trial to hear Dominion Voting Systems' lawsuit against Fox News wasn’t slated to begin until Thursday, but Wednesday brought fireworks in the courtroom of Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis. Davis not only admonished Fox News’ attorneys for hiding evidence related to network co-founder Rupert Murdoch, he determined that a special master would be necessary to review the evidence that Fox News is holding but has not yet shared with the court or Dominion.

As NBC News reports, a clearly upset Davis didn’t stop at scolding Fox News. He sanctioned the corporation, giving Dominion another opportunity to review the evidence—at Fox News’ expense. Davis also warned that he is considering “further investigation and censure” after it became clear that Fox News was downplaying Murdoch’s role at the company in order to cover up his involvement in how the network reported on Dominion.

According to CNN Business, Davis also informed both Fox News and Dominion that he intends to appoint a “special master” to review the information Fox has so far withheld and determine which of it should be added to the trial evidence.

“I am very concerned… that there have been misrepresentations to the court. This is very serious.”