Newsmax to settle defamation claim by Dominion for $67M

The conservative news outlet agreed to pay $67 million to settle defamation claims brought by Dominion Voting Systems in 2021. Newsmax agreed to make several payments over three years using company revenue, the news outlet said in a Monday statement. It does not anticipate the payments to disrupt its growth or operations.

Dominion originally sought $1.6 billion in damages. It alleged that statements in Newsmax’s coverage of the 2020 presidential election were defamatory. Newsmax said Monday it was confident in its reporting and insisted that its coverage was never defamatory, according to the company. Though Newsmax disagreed with the proceedings, the settlement will allow it to move forward with a renewed focus, the company said.

If it’s confident in the reporting, then why did the company settle? Newsmax claimed that the presiding judge in Delaware would not give the company a fair trial before a jury so that it could present what it said were standard libel defenses. Newsmax suggested that the judge presumed its guilt early on in the proceedings.

The outlet also insisted that legal discovery in the case had been far too intrusive. The Delaware court allowed Newsmax’s property to be effectively confiscated because its reporting was not always sympathetic to former President Joe Biden, CEO Christopher Ruddy said. The news outlet additionally accused the judge of procedural irregularities, citing a premature summary judgment after the initial filing.

Newsmax’s settlement came over a year after Fox News settled defamation allegations with Dominion after publishing similar coverage of the 2020 election. Legal actions against Newsmax and Fox News show a direct attack on free speech and the press, Ruddy added.

How did Dominion respond? A company spokesperson told WORLD on Monday that Dominion is pleased to have the matter settled.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report for more on Fox News’ settlement with Dominion.