Newsmax Media shelled out $40 million to put an end to a defamation lawsuit from Smartmatic, a voting technology company that accused the network of spreading false claims about the 2020 U.S. presidential election. While the settlement was reached last year, the figure only surfaced recently in a Newsmax investor filing dated March 7.
Smartmatic took legal action in 2021, arguing that Newsmax knowingly aired baseless allegations that its machines flipped votes to favor Joe Biden over Donald Trump. The company also claimed Newsmax profited from the false narratives, with its audience surging tenfold as Trump and his allies boosted the network’s coverage.
Newsmax defended its reporting, insisting it was simply covering claims made by Trump and his legal team. The company later clarified its stance in December 2020 and even extended an invitation for Smartmatic representatives to appear on air, which the company declined.
Though the lawsuit did not specify an exact damages estimate, Newsmax previously indicated that Smartmatic was seeking anywhere from $400 million to $600 million. Meanwhile, Smartmatic remains locked in a separate $2.7 billion legal battle with Fox News over similar election-related claims.
This settlement follows another major defamation payout—Fox News’ $787.5 million agreement with Dominion Voting Systems, which became the largest defamation settlement involving a U.S. media company.
