Smartmatic's defamation lawsuit against Newsmax over the 2020 election is headed to trial
SUMMARY
A Delaware judge ruled Thursday that Newsmax will face trial in the defamation lawsuit brought by voting machine company Smartmatic over claims related to the 2020 election. The case revolves around whether Newsmax defamed Smartmatic by reporting on allegations that its voting machines were involved in election fraud—claims that were widely discussed following the election. Newsmax has consistently defended its reporting, arguing that it was covering newsworthy events and public claims made by prominent figures, including former President Trump and his allies. "The jury must determine if Newsmax was doing what media organizations typically do—inform the public of newsworthy events—or if it purposely avoided the truth and defamed Smartmatic," Judge Eric Davis stated in his ruling. Although Davis ruled that some statements aired by Newsmax were false, the network has argued that not all the allegedly defamatory statements have been proven false, leaving the door open for key defenses.
