New Fox GC Replaces Dinh

Deadline reports that Fox Corp. has hired Adam Ciongoli to be its chief legal and policy officer. The effective date is Dec. 1. Ciongoli will oversee legal, compliance, regulatory matters, lobbying, and government affairs. He will report to Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch.

Ciongoli, currently executive vice president and general counsel for Campbell Soup Company, succeeds Viet Dinh, who announced he was leaving the company in August.

Dinh’s departure was part of a major reorganization at Fox, precipitated by the $787.5 million settlement the news channel paid to Dominion Voting Systems in April.

Dinh, who served at the White House under George W. Bush White House, amassed considerable power inside Fox, according to the New York Times. But the advice he provided during the Dominion suit was simply wrong, said some Fox employees.

Dinh insisted the company was in a good position legally, insisting that his client would prevail on First Amendment grounds if the case reached the Supreme Court. However, the way the case unfolded effectively exposed Fox to one revelation after another about its deceptive coverage of the 2020 election and false claims that it was stolen, much of it based on leaked discovery.

Before Ciongoli’s employment at Campbell Soup, he served as executive vice president and general counsel of Lincoln Financial Group, group general counsel for Willis Group Holdings, and senior vice president and general counsel for Time Warner, Europe. He clerked for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.

“Adam’s extensive legal experience across various industries and government will be a tremendous asset to our company,” said Murdoch in a statement.