Newsmax, the Trump-friendly news network accused of spreading the former President’s views added in 2020, has agreed to settle its defamation suit with Smartmatic, one of the voting machine vendors most prominent in conspiracy theories.
It is not yet clear what the terms of the compensation are, or how much money is involved. One thing’s for sure: the last-minute deal avoids a potential temptation for the news network. CNN reports that the settlement decision came hours after jury selection began in Wilmington, Delaware. Smartmatic initially sued Newsmax, and One America News Network, in 2021, accusing the company of defaming its reputation by making baseless allegations that it helped rig the 2020 vote to ensure Joe Biden won the presidential election. “We hold them accountable for what they tell their audience,” said Smartmatic’s attorney, J. Erik Connolly, then.
“We are very pleased to have secured the conclusion of the lawsuit against Newsmax,” read a statement shared on Smartmatic’s website. We are now looking forward to our court day against Fox Corp and Fox News for their disinformation campaign. Lying to the American people has consequences. Smartmatic will not stop until the perpetrators are held accountable.”
On its website, Newsmax published a statement Thursday saying it is “pleased to announce that it has settled the lawsuit brought by Smartmatic in a confidential settlement.”
Gizmodo reached out to both Newsmax and Smartmatic for more details.
CNN reports that Smartmatic’s confidence in the ongoing legal battle has recently dipped. While the company initially accused Newsmax of costing them billions of dollars in reputational damages for selling the conspiracy, the damage claim was eventually reduced to $370 million (which, you know, is still a lot of money). It is unclear what the lawsuit would reveal about the opposition’s claims.
One thing is certain: the financial damage done to the media companies that put the allegations of the Trump group is enormous. Fox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems last year for $787 million in a similar case involving Smartmatic and Newsmax. Fox had similarly helped rig the 2020 presidential election, some of which involved Dominion’s voting machines. Dominion sued Fox in 2021. The agreement between the two companies also came at the last minute, just before they were charged.