ND Law graduate Thomas Clare ’92, ’95 J.D. helps Dominion Voting Systems win $787.5 million settlement from Fox News

Dominion Voting Systems — which won a $787.5 million defamation settlement from Fox News last week — was represented by a Notre Dame lawyer in the blockbuster case.

Thomas A. Clare ’92, ’95 J.D. of Clare Locke LLP was one of the lead attorneys for Dominion, which sued Fox News for broadcasting false claims about a conspiracy that Dominion voting machines were used to rig the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The result, reached April 18 in Delaware Superior Court after a two-year legal battle, was one of the biggest settlements ever paid in a defamation lawsuit.

“We recognized right away how momentous an issue this was, not only for Dominion but for the entire country and the integrity of elections,” Clare told Reuters after the settlement was reached.

Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis, who presided over the case, complimented the legal teams, Reuters reported. The judge said he had not seen “as good of lawyering” during all his years on the bench.

Clare has devoted his legal practice to defending people and companies against high-profile reputational attacks. His clients have included Fortune 100 companies and prominent individuals such as CEOs, celebrities, and military officials. He and his wife, Libby Locke, co-founded Clare Locke LLP in 2014.

Clare earned his B.A. cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 1992 and his J.D. summa cum laude from Notre Dame Law School in 1995. At the Law School, he was editor-in-chief of the Notre Dame Law Review and recipient of the Farabaugh Prize for High Scholarship in Law.

After graduation, he clerked for Hon. Kenneth F. Ripple on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Judge Ripple has been a Notre Dame Law School faculty member since 1976.