Newsmax Settles With Dominion Voting Systems for $67 Million

On Monday, Newsmax agreed to settle the defamation case brought by Dominion Voting Systems for $67 million. This brings to a close the lawsuit that stemmed from Newsmax’s coverage of Dominion’s role in the 2020 presidential election, which alleged falsely that the company rigged votes.

According to The New York Times, details of the settlement were first disclosed in an SEC filing by Newsmax, which noted that the conservative news network would make payments to Dominion via three installments by January 15, 2027.

“We are pleased to have settled this matter,” a Dominion spokesperson told The Times.

In a statement to TVNewser, Newsmax said, “We stand by our coverage as fair, balanced, and conducted within professional standards of journalism.”

The rest of the statement claimed that the rulings in the case had “strongly favored the plaintiffs and limited Newsmax’s ability to defend itself,” and that the “actions taken against Newsmax, and earlier against Fox News, represent a direct attack on free speech and a free press.”

No additional settlement terms were revealed in the SEC filing.

The case went to trial on April 28, with Judge Eric M. Davis of the Delaware Superior Court ruling that segments that aired on Newsmax presented inaccurate information about Dominion: “[Those segments] would likely cause reasonable viewers to think significantly less favorably about Dominion than if the viewers knew the truth,” he wrote. 

But the ruling stopped short of finding the network guilty of defamation, opting for the matter to be settled by a jury. 

Newsmax issued an on-air clarification about its coverage in December 2020 that also included Smartmatic, which brought its own $40 million lawsuit against the network. The two sides reached a settlement in March.

Judge Davis used the 2020 clarification as further proof that the network “acknowledged the falsity” of its reports regarding Dominion’s role in the election.

Dominion settled a separate defamation suit with Fox News in 2023 for $787.5 million just as its trial against the network was set to begin.

See Newsmax’s full statement on the case below:

Newsmax believed it was critically important for the American people to hear both sides of the election disputes that arose in 2020. We stand by our coverage as fair, balanced, and conducted within professional standards of journalism.

From the very beginning, Judge Davis ruled in ways that strongly favored the plaintiffs and limited Newsmax’s ability to defend itself.

The Delaware Court under Judge Davis effectively enforced a confiscation of our property because our reporting was not always sympathetic to Joe Biden. The actions taken against Newsmax, and earlier against Fox News, represent a direct attack on free speech and a free press.

The judiciary’s willingness to punish news organizations for reporting on matters of urgent national debate undermines the role of the press in a free society.

With these matters resolved, Newsmax is positioned to continue its mission: delivering accurate reporting, fostering vigorous debate, and ensuring Americans have access to diverse viewpoints. At a time when public trust in media is at historic lows, our commitment to balanced reporting, coverage of critical issues facing Americans and open dialogue has never been more important.