Newsmax to Pay $67 Million to Settle Dominion Voting System Lawsuit

Newsmax has agreed to pay $67 million to resolve a lawsuit regarding reputational harm, following allegations about the 2020 election coverage. This arrangement comes after Dominion Voting Systems had previously settled its defamation case against Fox News for $787 million.

In the lawsuit initiated months after the 2020 election, Dominion accused Newsmax of falsely claiming that their voting technology had been manipulated to ensure Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump. Similar to other right-wing media outlets, Newsmax featured proponents of these accusations, including former Trump attorney Sidney Powell and MyPillow’s Mike Lindell.

On August 15, Newsmax announced the settlement, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. They reported a $27 million payment on that date, with the remaining balance expected to be paid by January 2027.

Earlier this year, Judge Eric M. Davis, who oversaw Dominion’s case against Fox, ruled that Newsmax’s statements were also false and defamatory. This ruling indicated that, should the case proceed to trial, it would be necessary to determine whether Newsmax acted with actual malice and assess potential damages for Dominion.

Before the settlement, Dominion claimed that the falsehoods had caused significant harm, including threats to employees and substantial financial losses.

A spokesperson for Dominion expressed satisfaction with the resolution, stating, “We are pleased to have resolved this issue.” In a statement, Newsmax defended its reporting, asserting that their coverage adhered to professional journalistic standards and highlighting the importance of presenting both sides of the 2020 election debates. They noted that Judge Davis had firmly favored Dominion, limiting Newsmax’s ability to defend itself.