Conservative media outlet Newsmax has agreed to pay $67 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems.
The voting machine manufacturer sued the cable news channel over its repetition of claims that the 2020 general election was rigged against President Donald Trump, specifically mentioning the company as complicit in the supposed plot.
“Dominion alleges that in the wake of the 2020 Presidential Election, Newsmax engaged in a defamatory campaign against Dominion,” the 2024 lawsuit reads. “Newsmax’s campaign comprised a series of eighteen statements made on Newsmax television news channel and one social media post.”
A spokesperson for Dominion told CBS that the company was “pleased to have settled this matter.”
Following the settlement, Newsmax shared a statement on its website, defending its reporting on “both sides of the election disputes.”
“We stand by our coverage as fair, balanced, and conducted within professional standards of journalism,” the statement read.
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Newsmax went on to criticize the judge presiding over the case. The network said that Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis “would not provide a fair trial” and “limited Newsmax’s ability to defend itself.” Davis previously presided over a Dominion’s successful defamation lawsuit against Fox News. That outlet agreed to pay the company $787 million in a 2023 settlement.
The settlement comes on the same day Trump vowed to end mail-in voting as well as voting machines in future elections.
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