Newsmax and Smartmatic settle 2020 election defamation case on eve of trial [View all]
Source: CNN Business
Updated 5:34 PM EDT, Thu September 26, 2024
The pro-Trump cable outlet Newsmax and voting technology company Smartmatic settled a major defamation lawsuit Thursday in a last-minute agreement, averting a high-stakes trial over the airing of false 2020 election claims.
The terms of the settlement were not immediately known. The deal comes hours after jury selection got underway in a Wilmington, Delaware, courtroom ahead of opening statements scheduled for Monday. The parties, and a court official, announced the settlement Thursday afternoon.
“Newsmax is pleased to announce it has resolved the litigation brought by Smartmatic through a confidential settlement,” the network said in a statement. Smartmatic lawyer Erik Connolly said in a statement that the company was “very pleased to have secured the completion” of the Newsmax case. “Lying to the American people has consequences,” Connolly said. “Smartmatic will not stop until the perpetrators are held accountable.”
The closely watched trial would have been the first of several high-profile lawsuits filed against right-wing media companies in the wake of the 2020 election to reach a jury – and was set to determine whether Newsmax defamed Smartmatic by airing false claims the company’s machines had rigged the results against Donald Trump. Newsmax denied wrongdoing and said its coverage was protected by the First Amendment.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/26/business/newsmax-smartmatic-settle-defamation-case/index.html
Article updated.
Previous article -
The pro-Trump cable channel Newsmax has settled a major 2020 election defamation lawsuit with Smartmatic in a last-minute agreement to avoid a high-stakes trial that posed a significant risk to the small outlet.
"Newsmax is pleased to announce it has resolved the litigation brought by Smartmatic through a confidential settlement," the network said in a statement Thursday. CNN has reached out to Smartmatic for comment.
The terms of the settlement were not immediately known. The deal comes hours after jury selection got underway in a Wilmington, Delaware, courtroom ahead of opening statements scheduled for Monday.
A loss at trial could have put Newsmax on the hook to pay tens of millions of dollars to Smartmatic, putting the small cable channel in financial peril.
Original article -
CNN -- The pro-Trump cable channel Newsmax has settled a major 2020 election defamation lawsuit with Smartmatic in a last-minute agreement to avoid a high-stakes trial that posed a significant risk to the small outlet, according to a court official.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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