FOLLOW US

Voting technology company Smartmatic USA Corp. and Newsmax Media Inc. have reached a settlement in a defamation lawsuit related to Newsmax’s coverage of alleged election fraud following the 2020 presidential election. The case was scheduled to go to trial Monday in Delaware Superior Court.

Smartmatic & Newsmax Settle Defamation Suit : Settlement Details

Court officials confirmed the settlement on Thursday but did not disclose further information. The lawsuit, filed by Smartmatic in November 2021, accused Newsmax of defaming the company in reports aired between mid-November and mid-December 2020, which falsely claimed that Smartmatic’s technology was part of a conspiracy to steal the election from Donald Trump in favor of Joe Biden.

Smartmatic’s Legal Strategy

Smartmatic pursued the lawsuit, arguing that Newsmax acted with actual malice by recklessly airing false statements, many of which were made by Trump attorney Sidney Powell and other third parties. These claims centered around the baseless allegation that Smartmatic’s voting machines had "toggled" votes from Trump to Biden.

While the terms of the settlement were not disclosed, Smartmatic expressed satisfaction with the outcome, stating, “We are very pleased to have secured the completion of the case against Newsmax." The company also noted its ongoing litigation against Fox Corp. and Fox News, asserting that “lying to the American people has consequences."

Smartmatic & Newsmax Settle Defamation Suit : Legal Teams

Newsmax was represented by a team from Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP, Todd & Weld LLP, and Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP. Smartmatic was represented by Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP.