Newsmax Resolves Dominion Lawsuit with $67 Million Settlement Over 2020 Election Coverage
Newsmax, the conservative cable news channel, has agreed to a $67 million settlement in a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems. The lawsuit was in response to Newsmax’s coverage of the 2020 presidential election. The settlement, which was disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Monday, brings to close a lawsuit in which Dominion originally sought $1.6 billion in damages.
The settlement amount will be paid in three installments over the next two years. The first payment of $27 million was made on August 15, with the remaining $40 million to be paid in two equal installments of $20 million each by January 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027. As part of the settlement, Newsmax was not required to issue on-air apologies or retractions.
This is the second major defamation settlement for Newsmax, following a $40 million agreement with voting machine company Smartmatic last year. The larger settlement by Fox News with Dominion for $787.5 million in 2023 set a precedent for these costly legal resolutions over false 2020 election claims.
Source: CNN