Before a trial could get underway, conservative cable news outlet Newsmax was able to agree to terms for a settlement with Smartmatic to end the defamation lawsuit brought forth by the election machine company.
A spokesperson for the Delaware Superior Court revealed that the matter between the cable network and Smartmatic had been resolved before the trial began.
“Newsmax is pleased to announce it has resolved the litigation brought by Smartmatic through a confidential settlement,” the network said in a statement Thursday.
The terms of the settlement were not immediately made available. Last year, Fox News famously settled its defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million. Meanwhile, One America News reached a settlement with Smartmatic earlier this year. All three settlements were about claims made by TV news networks surrounding the validity of the 2020 presidential election and the role the election machines played in what the Trump campaign continually called a “stolen” and “rigged” election.
Opening statements in the case were scheduled for Monday. The agreement to settle the matter before a trial could begin comes on the heels of a Delaware Superior Court judge ruling that Smartmatic was not entitled to punitive damages because 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.
