On the cusp of a trial, cable news channel Newsmax reached a settlement with voting machine company Smartmatic on Thursday, ending a defamation lawsuit accusing the channel of broadcasting multiple false statements around of the 2020 elections.
Smartmatic had accused Newsmax of publishing dozens of false reports claiming that Smartmatic helped rig the 2020 election in favor of Joe Biden. Newsmax had argued, in part, that they were reporting newsworthy fraud allegations.
“Newsmax is pleased to announce that it has resolved the litigation brought by Smartmatic through a confidential settlement,” Newsmax said in a statement on its website.
In a statement, Smartmatic said it was “very pleased” with the settlement and referenced its ongoing lawsuit against Fox News.
“There are consequences for lying to the American people,” the statement said. “We now look forward to our day in court against Fox Corp and Fox News for their disinformation campaign. Smartmatic will not stop until the perpetrators are held accountable for their actions.”
News of the settlement came as jury selection was already underway Thursday in Delaware, according to a court official, ahead of opening statements scheduled to begin Monday.
A Newsmax microphone is seen during day three of the 2024 Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, July 17, 2024.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
The settlement amount was not immediately disclosed. Prior to the settlement, Smartmatic suffered a setback, including the judge excluding its ability to seek punitive damages at trial.
In response to Smartmatic’s statement, Fox News highlighted Smartmatic’s loss in terms of punitive damages.
“Smartmatic’s allegations against Fox are also weakened, unsupported by the facts, and intended to cripple First Amendment freedoms. We look forward to defending this case when it comes to trial,” Fox’s statement said.
In another case last year, Dominion Voting Systems reached a $787 million settlement with Fox News in a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit involving similar election-related claims.
The Newsmax trial was scheduled to take place before the same judge who oversaw the Dominion case.
