In recent times, you must have seen that there is some backlash going against Newsmax, which is a right-leaning news network in the country. But why the backlash, though? Well, it turns out, they went on to spread some information against the Dominion Voting Systems, and that wasn’t factually true. So, all of this matter turned into this Newsmax Defamation Lawsuit, which is still a big thing in the country. So, if you don’t know the details of it all, just keep on reading because it is the voting system of the United States that is in question.
What Started It All?
Following the 2020 U.S. presidential election, which, by the way, was won by Joe Biden, several allegations of election fraud were raised. Most of them were propagated by Donald Trump and his supporters. A significant number of these claims were just targeted at Dominion Voting Systems straight up.
Some individuals were pointing fingers at Dominion, claiming that the company changed the votes, erased the ballots, and was involved in strange conspiracies, together with the late Venezuelan leader. It sounds crazy, but these allegations were not only made verbally; they were also exposed.
What about Newsmax? They not only covered these conspiracies but went to great lengths to promote them. Classic characters like Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, and Mike Lindell (the MyPillow guy) were hardly ever off their shows, coining the same false narratives. In the lawsuit filed by Dominion, it is mentioned that these lies hurt their image, caused loss of income, and extremely affected workers because of the threats they received.
When Did the Lawsuit Begin?
Dominion went fully legal against Newsmax in August 2021 by submitting a formal complaint. They stated that the network had deliberately propagated lies about them and that these lies had resulted in great damage to them. The suit was looking for $1.6 billion in compensation.
The judge went through the evidence in detail and unequivocally decided that Newsmax had caused defamation to Dominion. No uncertain terms, the statements were found to be false.
Was There a Trial?
In reality, a trial was planned for October 2025, but it did not go on. Newsmax, after witnessing the turn of events in Dominion’s case against Fox News (that led to a $787.5 million settlement), must have come to the conclusion that it was wiser to agree with the plaintiff rather than roll the dice in court.
So, in August 2025, Newsmax reached a settlement with Dominion and avoided the trial.
What’s the Settlement Amount?
Newsmax consented to handing over $67 million to Dominion as a way of resolving the lawsuit. The payment plan, along with the dates, are as follows:
- $27 million paid in August 2025
- $20 million due in January 2026
- $20 million due in January 2027
These payment details were officially filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), so yes, it’s all legit.
Has Newsmax Faced This Before?
As a matter of fact, yes. In 2024, Newsmax forked over $40 million to Smartmatic, a voting technology company, to resolve a comparable lawsuit over defamatory allegations. Right here, they are the second big lawsuit settlement going by the smokescreen of false claims about the 2020 election.
What Did Newsmax Say About the Case?
Newsmax still denied any prosecution of their wrongful practices after making a settlement. They maintained that their coverage was fair and asserted that they were merely exposing the matter’s two sides.
They went so far as to speak negatively about the judge, insinuating that the justice they were due was not administered in court. Besides, they were not remorseful with an on-air apology or a rectification statement.
