Newsmax Settles Defamation Lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $67 Million

Conservative news channel Newsmax has agreed to pay $67 million to Dominion Voting Systems to settle a defamation lawsuit stemming from false claims made about the 2020 US presidential election.

According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Newsmax paid $27 million upfront and will pay $20 million in both 2026 and 2027.

The lawsuit centered on Newsmax’s airing of baseless allegations that Dominion’s voting technology was used to rig the election in favor of Democrat Joe Biden, who defeated Republican Donald Trump.

Dominion had sought $1.6 billion in damages, claiming Newsmax’s coverage was defamatory and damaged the company’s reputation.

Newsmax attributed its decision to settle to concerns over receiving a fair trial, citing a pattern of judicial rulings that denied the company due process.

Despite settling, Newsmax maintains its reporting was not defamatory and adhered to journalistic standards.

This settlement follows a similar case involving Fox News, which paid $787.5 million to Dominion in 2023 to settle a related defamation lawsuit.

Newsmax also settled a defamation suit with voting technology company Smartmatic for $40 million last year.

The Dominion lawsuit highlighted internal communications within Newsmax that suggested the company’s awareness of the baseless nature of the allegations it was airing. Employees and even Newsmax owner Chris Ruddy expressed skepticism about the claims, with Ruddy describing a meeting between Trump and attorney Sidney Powell as “scary”.

The lawsuit also referenced comments from Newsmax host Bob Sellers, who questioned the persistence of election fraud allegations.