Rupert Murdoch is being deposed under oath Tuesday as part of the $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit filed against Fox Corp. by the voting technology company Smartmatic, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC.
Murdoch is expected to sit for questioning in Los Angeles on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the source.
It is the second time this year that Murdoch, 92, has been deposed in a high-stakes defamation lawsuit accusing Fox News of airing damaging lies about the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Under questioning in January as part of a lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems, Murdoch admitted that some Fox News hosts and personalities “endorsed” the false narrative that the election was stolen from then-President Donald Trump.
Fox paid $787.5 million to settle Dominion’s lawsuit, nearly half of the $1.6 billion figure initially demanded by the voting company. Smartmatic, which comprises similar claims of defamation by Fox, seeks $2.7 billion in damages.
Murdoch earlier this month officially stepped down as chairman of Fox and News Corp., putting his son Lachlan in charge of both. The elder Murdoch is now chairman emeritus of the companies.
Fox spokesman Brian Nick declined CNBC’s request for comment on Murdoch’s deposition.
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