San Diego’s OAN Could Settle Defamation Suit with Dominion at Feb. 13 Conference

San Diego-based One America News Network could be on the verge of settling a multibillion-dollar defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems.

Judge G. Michael Harvey, a federal mediator in D.C., set a settlement conference for Feb. 13 via telephone or video.

Robert and Charles Herring, the father-and-son leaders of the far-right network also known as OAN, were ordered to submit a “present settlement proposal” ahead of the meeting.

“The parties are further advised that participants in the mediation should refrain from scheduling other matters or appointments on the date of the mediation, including into the evening,” Harvey wrote. “If any party will be traveling to the District of Columbia for the mediation, no return travel plans should be made on the day of the mediation.”

Meanwhile, OAN learned Friday night that it will be given coveted Pentagon press corps workspace — resulting in NBC being kicked out.

At the same time, the conservative Breitbart website will soon swap with National Public Radio for the office as part of what the Pentagon calls a new “annual media rotation program” — even though Breitbart isn’t a radio station.

The New York Post will take over The New York Times’ workspace, and Politico’s space would be replaced by HuffPost, said a memo circulating on social media.

In August 2021, Dominion sued Herring Networks, alleging that OAN broadcast lies about it helping Joe Biden steal the 2020 presidential election. Last April, the Herrings settled a similar suit by Smartmatic.

Terms of that deal were confidential, but Smartmatic had estimated that OAN’s false claims wiped out much of its business value, reducing it to less than $1 billion from more than $3 billion.

(The Herrings also settled with other individuals, including the Georgia mother-and-daughter election workers who OAN falsely accused of criminal acts — helping steal an electoral victory from Donald Trump.)

In a 620-word order filed Jan. 13, Judge Harvey told both sides to submit confidential statements by close of business seven days prior to mediation.

“The mediation statements should not be lengthy, but should contain enough information to be useful to the undersigned in analyzing the factual and legal issues in the case,” Harvey wrote. “The parties are directed to be candid in their mediation statements.”

CNN reported on OAN replacing NBC at the Pentagon.

“While NBC produces some of the most-watched news programs in the country, like ‘NBC Nightly News’ and ‘Today,’ One America is so small that it eschewed the Nielsen ratings measurement service,” CNN said.

CNN quoted Kevin Baron, a former vice president of the Pentagon Press Association, as calling the switch “the erasure of journalism at the Pentagon.”

“Kicking out reporters HURTS coverage,” Baron said on X. “If you can’t file your stories from inside the building you are disadvantaged. If you don’t have a work space you are disadvantaged.”

Late Friday night, OAN’s website had yet to report the Pentagon order.