A news anchor works in the Newsmax booth during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 16, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Patrick T. Fallon AFP | Getty Images
A settlement has been reached in a defamation lawsuit brought against an electronic voting machine maker by allies of former President Donald Trump and a conservative news outlet that alleged vote rigging in the 2020 election.
Newsmax confirmed Thursday that a deal had been reached but gave no further details. Voting machine company Smartmatic claims Newsmax hosts and guests made false and defamatory statements in November and December 2020 that suggested Smartmatic was involved in manipulating results and using its software to switch votes.
Newsmax argued that it was merely reporting on newsworthy accusations made by Trump and his supporters, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and conservative lawyer Sidney Powell.
The Delaware lawsuit, which challenged Newsmax's coverage over a five-week period in late 2020, is one of several stemming from coverage by conservative news outlets in the aftermath of the election.
Smartmatic also sued Fox News for defamation in New York and recently settled a lawsuit in the District of Columbia against One America News Network, another conservative outlet.
Dominion Voting Systems has similarly filed several defamation lawsuits against those who spread conspiracy theories blaming its election equipment for Trump's defeat. Last year, Fox News settled with Dominion for $787 million in a case that Davis presided over.