4/19 6:13 AM PT -- A spokesperson for Fox News tells us, "We are pleased to have reached a settlement of our dispute with Dominion Voting Systems. We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false. This settlement reflects FOX’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards. We are hopeful that our decision to resolve this dispute with Dominion amicably, instead of the acrimony of a divisive trial, allows the country to move forward from these issues."
Fox News is cutting a nine-figure check to avoid going to trial in one of the highest-profile defamation cases in American history -- the network struck a last-minute deal with Dominion Voting Systems to settle the case.
The trial was scheduled to start Tuesday in Delaware Superior Court ... 12 jurors had been selected in the morning, but before opening statements, the judge announced the settlement from the bench.
According to Dominion lawyers, Fox will fork over $787.5 million to settle the suit.
Remember ... Dominion, a voting machine maker, was seeking $1.6 billion in damages after accusing Fox News of sullying its reputation in the wake of the 2020 election with claims of votes being taken from Donald Trump and given to Joe Biden.
The massive settlement means Fox News on-air personalities like Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Maria Bartiromo won't be called to the witness stand. Jurors would have been tasked with determining if Fox News acted maliciously in airing false statements about Dominion's voting machines.
Worth noting, Dominion is a small privately owned company that's reportedly worth less than $100 million, but it's about to be pretty flush.
Other terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.