Defamation lawsuit settlement: Newsmax to pay $67 million for spreading false 2020 election assertions
In a significant turn of events, Newsmax has agreed to pay $67 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought forth by Dominion Voting Systems. The lawsuit, which centered around wild conspiracy theories aired on Newsmax, accused the news network of promoting false claims linking Dominion to the deceased Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.
The settlement was disclosed by Newsmax in a new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. This development comes after a Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis ruled that Newsmax defamed Dominion Voting Systems. The settlement was reached before a trial could take place.
This is not the first time Newsmax has been embroiled in a legal battle related to election-related claims. In 2021, the network saw a business opportunity in catering to viewers who believed former President Trump won the 2020 election. However, internal correspondence from Newsmax officials shows they were aware that the claims about Dominion were baseless.
Employees at Newsmax repeatedly warned against false allegations from pro-Trump guests such as attorney Sidney Powell. Despite this, some of the more bombastic allegations made by guests on Newsmax were not retracted until December 2020.
Newsmax owner Chris Ruddy found it 'scary' that Trump was meeting with Sidney Powell, but the network continued to air her claims. The network's host Bob Sellers also questioned the validity of the 2020 election results two days after it was called for President Biden.
The settlement comes after Fox News Channel paid $787.5 million to settle a similar lawsuit in 2023. Previously, Newsmax had paid $40 million to settle a libel lawsuit from Smartmatic.
Trump, who has been a vocal critic of Dominion, directed his Department of Justice to investigate Chris Krebs, a former Trump cybersecurity appointee who had vouched for the security and accuracy of the 2020 election. Trump also pardoned those who tried to halt the transfer of power during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
However, Trump's then-attorney general, William Barr, stated there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Trump and his backers lost dozens of lawsuits alleging fraud, including some before Trump-appointed judges.
Despite the settlement, Newsmax has stated that it stands by its coverage of the 2020 election disputes. Dominion, on the other hand, is pleased to have settled the lawsuit. The settlement was reached on Friday, according to Newsmax.
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