Newsmax Agrees to $67 Million Settlement with Dominion Voting Systems
In a significant development, Newsmax has agreed to pay $67 million to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems. The lawsuit accused Newsmax of disseminating false claims regarding the 2020 presidential election and Dominion’s role in it. The settlement was revealed through documents filed on Monday.
This settlement follows a similar pattern in which Fox News Channel previously settled for $787.5 million over comparable allegations. Additionally, Newsmax had earlier settled a lawsuit from Smartmatic, another voting technology firm, for $40 million after being implicated in pro-Trump conspiracy narratives.
Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis had determined that Newsmax defamed Dominion by airing misleading information about their voting equipment. The jury was expected to decide if the defamation involved malice and to what extent damages should be awarded. However, Newsmax and Dominion reached a settlement before the trial commenced.
The settlement details were shared by Newsmax in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, stating the agreement was finalized last Friday.
Newsmax issued a statement regarding the settlement, asserting, “Newsmax believed it was critically important for the American people to hear both sides of the election disputes that arose in 2020. We stand by our coverage as fair, balanced, and conducted within professional standards of journalism.”
Dominion expressed satisfaction with the settlement through a spokesperson.
The timing of this settlement coincides with former President Trump’s renewed call on social media to abolish mail-in ballots and voting machines, such as those provided by Dominion. Trump, who lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, did not provide a clear method for achieving this goal.
Judge Davis, who oversaw both the Dominion-Fox News and the Dominion-Newsmax cases, had previously ruled that Fox News perpetuated false claims about the election despite internal communications indicating awareness of their inaccuracy. Davis described the misrepresentations as “CRYSTAL clear.”
Newsmax’s internal documents also revealed knowledge of the baselessness of the fraud claims. Host Bob Sellers questioned the network’s position on the election fraud narrative shortly after the election results were declared in favor of Biden.
Internal communications showed that Newsmax’s strategy included catering to viewers who believed in Trump’s victory. Similar business motivations were evident in Fox News’s previous defamation case with Dominion.
Documents from the lawsuit indicated that Newsmax staff frequently cautioned against unfounded allegations made by pro-Trump guests, such as attorney Sidney Powell. Despite his alliance with Trump, Newsmax owner Chris Ruddy described Trump’s meetings with Powell as “scary.”
Dominion’s involvement in the conspiracy theories presented by Newsmax’s guests included claims that deceased Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez had manipulated machines for Biden. Newsmax retracted several of these outlandish claims in December 2020.
Although Trump has maintained the legitimacy of his fraud claims, no substantial evidence has emerged to support them. The lawsuits against Fox and Newsmax highlighted that even Trump’s advocates knew these claims were unfounded. Former Attorney General William Barr publicly stated there was no significant evidence of election fraud.
Trump and his supporters faced numerous legal defeats in their attempts to challenge the election results, including losses in cases presided over by Trump-appointed judges. Comprehensive recounts, reviews, and audits affirmed Biden’s victory, showing no significant irregularities or errors.
In the aftermath of the 2020 election, Trump pardoned individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol events and instructed investigations into cybersecurity officials who had verified the election’s integrity.
As the Dominion trial approached, Trump issued an executive order targeting law firm Susman Godfrey, involved in the Dominion and Fox cases. This order was temporarily halted by a federal judge, who deemed it a “shocking abuse of power.”
