A federal judge has ruled that Newsmax is not liable for punitive damages in the cable network’s lawsuit brought forth by voting machine company Smartmatic.
The court ruled that Newsmax never participated in “express malice”, which means the network never intended to harm the election machine company, therefore Smartmatic could not pursue punitive damages.
“Newsmax’s reporting did not cause Smartmatic damages and after extensive discovery Smartmatic has offered no evidence of such claimed damages,” a network spokesperson said after the ruling Monday. “Newsmax covered both sides of the dispute in the aftermath of the 2020 election. The Smartmatic suit against Newsmax threatens freedom of speech and freedom of press.”
The news of the ruling comes on the heels of decision of Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis to allow the trial to move forward earlier this month.
Smartmatic has continually asserted that the outlet knowingly and maliciously peddled the false narrative that the election machine company was part of a grander plan that led to President Joe Biden — not Donald Trump — winning the 2020 election. Dominion Voting Systems famously sued Fox News for a similar situation with the two parties settling on a $787.5 million payout.
