dtucker300 Loc: Vista, CA

Despite massive Fox News settlement, D******n CEO has 'tragic' news for v****g-system company
'Put us into a death spiral'
George C. Upper III, The Western Journal
Published May 23, 2023 at 5:39pm
How, exactly, does a company win a settlement worth more than three-quarters of a billion dollars and still manage to go belly-up?

It sounds challenging, but the CEO of D******n V****g Systems says that's exactly what's going to happen to his company.

It's been just over a month since the $787.5 million settlement between D******n and Fox News was announced only hours before the defamation lawsuit was due to go to trial.

Despite that windfall, D******n CEO John Poulos told TIME that the bad publicity has damaged the company's reputation beyond repair.

“It basically put us into a death spiral,” he said of the alleged defamation. “And by accusing us of the greatest American crime in history, it turned us, as one of our customers has described, as the most demonized brand in the United States.”

D******n had been in business since 2002, but only became a well-known brand nationally in the wake of e******n-stealing allegations following the 2020 p**********l e******n.

Former President Donald Trump and many in his circle had accused the company of conspiring to throw the e******n in favor of then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

None of those allegations was ever proved -- in fact, few had any evidence whatsoever to support them, which is in large part why Fox was forced to settle for such a large amount.

Nevertheless, Poulos says he expects most -- or possibly even all -- of the company's customers not to renew their current contracts as they expire.

"Earlier this year, Shasta County in northern California ended its contract with D******n despite not having a replacement vendor lined up," TIME reported.

“It’s just easier for our customers to use something that’s not D******n,” Poulos said. “We just know that our business ultimately goes to zero.”

“Eventually, I suspect all of our customers will go a different direction,” he added. “It’s just a matter of time.”

Poulos told TIME that "D******n experienced a spike in death threats" after the Fox settlement was announced, and that he and D******n were committed to keeping employees safe.

D******n has another six defamation lawsuits pending, including actions filed against Newsmax and One America News, TIME said. Obviously, however, the company cannot remain solvent forever on the basis of revenue from litigation.

Smartmatic, another electronic v****g systems company founded just two years prior to D******n, has its own defamation suit pending against Fox.

"Fox on-air hosts Maria Bartiromo, Lou Dobbs and Jeanine Pirro, and Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell" are also named in the suit, according to the company's website.

Smartmatic is seeking a whopping $2.7 billion in damages, or almost 3.5 times the amount of Fox's settlement with D******n.

The company's website said Smartmatic was "continuing to analyze our claims against OANN and Newsmax," and has not ruled out the possibility of lawsuits against those companies as well.

CORRECTION, May 23, 2023: D******n V****g Systems' settlement with Fox News was for more than three-quarters of a billion dollars. An earlier version of this article included a different number.

Strycker Loc: The middle of somewhere else.

I guess when all that payoff money for fixing the machines dries up it's hard to make ends meet. Wonder how much of that 3/4 billion settlement ended up in executive's personal accounts. Same thing happened to the Clinton Foundation.