Litigators who helped Dominion Voting Systems secure a $787.5 million defamation settlement with Fox News in April 2023 have prevailed in an unrelated District of Columbia libel case.
A federal jury awarded more than $8 million in damages to a New Zealand businessman represented by Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch, which successfully vindicated his reputation.
After a six-day trial, the jury returned a $4 million damages award to plaintiff Christopher Chandler on Monday followed by an additional award of more than $4 million in punitive damages Tuesday, according to the verdict forms in the case.
U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta presided over the jury trial and previously granted pretrial motions in favor of Chandler, finding the false allegations libelous per se in September 2023.
The jury found defendant Donald Berlin liable for preparing a background report falsely portraying Chandler as an agent of Russian organized crime. Steven M. Oster of Oster McBride, who represented Berlin, did not respond to requests for comment.
Meier and Watkins previously practiced defamation law at Clare Locke and served as co-counsel for Dominion alongside Susman Godfrey. The founders of Meier Watkins announced their new practice in August 2023 four months after helping Dominion settle claims with Fox.
They did not respond to a request for comment.
Chandler, founder of the United Arab Emirates-based venture capital firm Legatum, released a statement through his company announcing that he intends to use the jury verdict award to fund philanthropic programs.