Newsmax Media, a conservative U.S. news outlet, agreed to pay $40 million to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by Smartmatic, a voting technology company, over false claims aired by Newsmax about the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
The settlement, initially confidential when reached in September 2024, was disclosed in a regulatory filing by Newsmax last week.
Smartmatic sued Newsmax in 2021, alleging the network broadcast damaging misinformation asserting that Smartmatic’s voting machines were used to rig the election in favor of Joe Biden against Donald Trump. The claims included accusations that the company’s software switched votes, that its machines were hacked, and that it was tied to corrupt entities—none of which were substantiated. In reality, Smartmatic’s technology was only used in Los Angeles County during the 2020 election, not in any widespread or battleground-state capacity that could have influenced the national outcome.
Smartmatic, meanwhile, framed the outcome as a victory, stating, “Lying to the American people has consequences,” and signaling its intent to pursue accountability in other ongoing lawsuits, such as one against Fox News.
The lawsuit stemmed from Newsmax’s post-election coverage, which saw its audience surge as it amplified Trump allies’ baseless fraud allegations. This period marked a significant boost for Newsmax, with its viewership reportedly jumping tenfold and surpassing rivals like CNBC and Fox Business, according to Nielsen ratings. However, internal doubts existed: a November 2020 letter from CEO Christopher Ruddy admitted the network lacked evidence of voter fraud, and host Bob Sellers questioned how long they’d “play along” with such claims, per legal filings
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