Newsmax reaches $67M settlement with Dominion Voting Systems in defamation case

[Thiệu Ngô]

The voting system manufacturer claimed the news channel made false statements about the company.

By Jacqueline Munis

Conservative-leaning cable news channel Newsmax agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $67 million to settle a defamation lawsuit over false election claims that the 2020 election was rigged.

Dominion Voting Systems filed its lawsuit against Newsmax and several other defendants in 2021, seeking $1.6 billion in damages. The settlement avoids a trial that was set to begin in October.

“We are pleased to have settled this matter,” a Dominion spokesperson said in a statement to POLITICO.

As part of the agreement, the first payment of $27 million was paid Aug. 15. Two more $20 million payments must be paid in 2026 and 2027, according to a filing from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In a statement, Newsmax defended its coverage as “fair, balanced, and conducted within professional standards of journalism.”

“The actions taken against Newsmax, and earlier against Fox News, represent a direct attack on free speech and a free press,” Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said in a statement.

In 2023, Fox News reached a $787 million settlement with Dominion over similar claims. Newsmax previously settled with Smartmatic, another voting machine company, over defamation claims in 2024.