Fox Corporation's top lawyer is leaving the company, the media giant announced in a news release Friday, nearly four months after it reached a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems.
Viet Dinh, Fox's chief legal and policy officer, plans to step down from his role at the end of the year and become a special adviser to the company, Fox said.
"We appreciate Viet's many contributions and service to Fox as both a board member of 21st Century Fox and in his role over the last five years as a valued member of Fox's leadership team," Lachlan Murdoch, Fox's executive chief and CEO, said in a statement.
Fox will pay Dinh $23 million in severance as part of his settlement, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. He will also earn $2.5 million a year during a two-year term as a special adviser, the filing said.
In April, Fox abruptly settled a defamation case brought by Dominion, a privately held company that makes voting equipment. Dominion sued Fox Corp. and Fox News for airing false allegations of voter fraud after President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. It sought $1.6 billion in damages.
The blockbuster settlement, reached on the same day the trial was slated to start, headed off what would have been one of the most explosive American media trials in decades.
Fox News had argued that the case was about the "First Amendment protections of the media's absolute right to cover the news."
Dihn once served as an assistant U.S. attorney general under President George W. Bush. He joined Fox in 2018 and oversees legal, compliance and regulatory matters, as well as government affairs, according to the company.
"I have been privileged to be part of the Fox family for over two decades as a director and officer, and I have especially treasured my relationships with Rupert, Lachlan and our talented colleagues over the years," Dinh said in a statement, referring to Fox founder Rupert Murdoch.
