NEW YORK (AP) Fox News lost an attempt Tuesday to shut down a multibillion-dollar defamation lawsuit that accuses the network of spreading lies that a voting-technology company helped steal the 2020 election from then-U.S. President Donald Trump .

New Yorks Supreme Court Appellate Division, a mid-level appeals court, ruled against the network, which wanted judges to dismiss the $2.7 billion defamation case.

The company that brought the case, Smartmatic, has said it played a valid and small role in the election. It hailed the ruling as a step toward holding Fox News accountable for amplifying unsupported and damaging claims from Trumps lawyers.

Fox News cast the case as an attempt to chill journalism, expressing confidence the network ultimately would prevail.