In an unexpected announcement on Friday, it was revealed that the top attorney at Fox Corporation, the parent company of Fox News, would soon be stepping aside.
Viet Dinh, the chief legal and policy officer at Fox Corp., will be stepping down from that position at the end of the year, according to Just the News.
Dinh, who played a lead role in the massive defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems that was settled just before it went to trial earlier this year, isn't completely leaving the company, though, as he will reportedly stick around for a time in a special advisory position.
NBC News reported that Dinh's impending job position change at Fox Corp. was announced on Friday and confirmed by a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
According to that filing, Dinh will receive a $23 million severance payment from the company at the end of the year and, in addition, will receive $5 million over a two-year term for his future role as a special adviser.
The company's top lawyer had previously served as an assistant attorney general in the administration of former President George W. Bush. He joined Fox Corp. in 2018 and oversees all of the company's government affairs, legal matters, and regulatory compliance issues.
Lachlan Murdoch, the CEO of Fox Corp., said in a statement, "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."
According to The Washington Post, the announcement of Dinh's eventual departure from the chief legal position at Fox Corp. comes roughly four months after the company settled the lawsuit with Dominion for around $787.5 billion.
Dominion, which initially sought $1.6 billion in damages, had accused Fox Corp. and Fox News of defaming it by broadcasting allegedly false claims about the integrity and security of its voting machines in the aftermath of the 2020 election and its disputed results in a handful of states that used the company's product.
Dinh had played a lead role throughout the months-long legal dispute, including the discovery process that publicly exposed reams of internal emails and text messages at Fox -- including some of his own communications -- and the sudden settlement that ended the matter on the same day that a trial was to begin after a jury had already been picked and seated.
He was also in charge of other legal matters that have been settled, including a recent $12 million settlement with former producer Abby Grossberg over a hostile work environment lawsuit, which so far in 2023 alone have totaled up to $894 million.
The Post noted that while Dinh was not particularly well-known by the general public, he has been a key leader at Fox Corp. and has grown developed a close relationship with the Murdoch family that controls the company, reportedly even being named as the godfather of one of Lachlan Murdoch's sons.
"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 that referenced the founder of Fox Corp. and family patriarch Rupert Murdoch.
"I look forward to continuing with Fox as Special Advisor, and to returning to my roots of working on multiple ventures and with many clients across a variety of disciplines," he added.
