In a significant development, voting technology company Smartmatic and conservative cable network Newsmax have reached a settlement in a defamation lawsuit, effectively preventing a trial that was set to begin next week. The details of the confidential agreement remain undisclosed, but the settlement was reached during the jury selection phase of the trial, as reported by The Washington Post on Friday. A representative from Newsmax confirmed the settlement, stating, “Newsmax is pleased to announce it has resolved the litigation brought by Smartmatic through a confidential settlement.”
This case had the potential to be groundbreaking, as it would have been the first time a jury considered whether a cable news network had made defamatory statements about a voting technology company in relation to the 2020 election. Smartmatic had focused on 24 specific claims made by Newsmax that it deemed defamatory. The company has consistently maintained that it was only active in Los Angeles County during the 2020 election and could not have been involved in a nationwide conspiracy to influence the election in favor of President Joe Biden. Newsmax, a Florida-based network, has consistently argued that it was merely reporting on allegations made by figures associated with the Trump campaign, which it considered newsworthy.
Earlier this year, Smartmatic also settled a similar lawsuit against One America News for an undisclosed sum. The company is currently involved in another lawsuit against Fox News, with the trial scheduled to begin next year. Meanwhile, Newsmax is still facing a defamation lawsuit in Delaware from Dominion, but that case is not close to trial.
The settlement between Smartmatic and Newsmax is a significant development in the ongoing legal battles surrounding the 2020 election. It remains to be seen how this settlement will impact the other lawsuits involving voting technology companies and news networks.
