"Absent from the news — Dominion lost their lawsuits against Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell."
Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, left, and Sidney Powell, both lawyers for then-President Donald Trump, during a news conference Nov. 19, 2020, in Washington. (AP)
Dominion’s defamation lawsuit against Giuliani, Powell remains active
If Your Time is short
- The two defamation lawsuits filed by Dominion Voting Systems, a company targeted with baseless claims about rigging the 2020 presidential election, are still active.
Two of Donald Trump’s lawyers, Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, repeatedly pushed conspiracy theories and baseless claims about the 2020 presidential election, leading Dominion Voting Systems to sue them for defamation.
Over the Memorial Day weekend, a post widely circulated on Facebook claimed that the two lawyers had prevailed over the company, stating:
"ABSENT from the News — Dominion LOST their law suits against Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell."
The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
The post is also baseless. Both cases are still active.
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
Since Election Day, Dominion and another voting technology company, Smartmatic, have been the subject of disinformation campaigns that seek to undermine confidence in the integrity of the vote.
Powell, a Dallas lawyer, had claimed, among other things, that voting equipment made by Dominion and Smartmatic, "were built to do this very thing, for changing the results of elections." We rated that Pants on Fire!
Dominion, which is based in Denver and Toronto, filed separate lawsuits against Giuliani and Powell, each of which seeks $1.3 billion, in federal court in Washington, D.C. in January.
It later filed related defamation suits against Fox News and Mike Lindell, a Trump supporter and founder of the MyPillow company.
The lawsuit against Giuliani alleges that the former New York City mayor "and his allies manufactured and disseminated the ‘Big Lie,’ which foreseeably went viral and deceived millions of people into believing that Dominion had stolen their votes and fixed the election."
Featured Fact-check
The suit against Powell alleges that she falsely claimed that Dominion had "rigged the election, that Dominion was created in Venezuela to rig elections for Hugo Chávez and that Dominion bribed Georgia officials for a no-bid contract."
Giuliani has denied defaming Dominion. Powell has argued that the suit against her should be dismissed because "no reasonable person would conclude that the statements were truly statements of fact."
Online court filings show that both cases are active.
A spokesperson for Dominion confirmed the same.
We rate the Facebook posts claiming otherwise False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, May 30, 2021
Lead Stories, "Fact Check: Dominion Did NOT Lose Its Lawsuits Against Rudy Giuliani And Sidney Powell," June 1, 2021
Email, Dominion Voting Systems spokesperson Stephanie Walstrom, June 1, 2021
Public Access to Court Electronic Records, online search of Dominion Voting Systems lawsuits vs Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, June 1, 2021
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Tom Kertscher
Dominion’s defamation lawsuit against Giuliani, Powell remains active
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.