On August 15, 2025, conservative cable network Newsmax agreed to pay $67 million to Dominion Voting Systems, settling one of the most high-profile defamation lawsuits stemming from the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The settlement, announced in a regulatory filing on August 18, marks the latest chapter in a series of legal battles over false claims that the election was rigged in favor of President Joe Biden. For Dominion, a Denver-based voting technology company, the deal closes a turbulent period marked by threats, lost revenue, and relentless public scrutiny.
The settlement came just weeks before a scheduled trial in Delaware Superior Court, where Judge Eric Davis had already ruled that Newsmax defamed Dominion by airing false and defamatory statements about the company's role in the 2020 election. The only questions left for a jury were whether Newsmax acted with actual malice and, if so, how much Dominion should receive in damages. Instead, both sides agreed to resolve the case out of court. According to the filing, Newsmax paid $27 million immediately, with two further installments of $20 million each due on January 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027.
"We are pleased to have settled this matter," a Dominion spokesperson said, echoing the relief felt by the company after years of legal wrangling and public attacks. The settlement, while substantial, falls far short of the £1.6 billion in damages Dominion originally sought. Still, it represents a significant acknowledgment of the harm caused by the spread of election falsehoods.
Newsmax, for its part, has steadfastly defended its coverage. In a statement posted to its website and echoed in regulatory filings, the network insisted, "Newsmax believed it was critically important for the American people to hear both sides of the election disputes that arose in 2020. We stand by our coverage as fair, balanced, and conducted within professional standards of journalism." Yet the network also lashed out at Judge Davis and the court, claiming that a "pattern of judicial rulings" had denied Newsmax due process and limited its ability to defend itself. "From the very beginning, Judge Davis ruled in ways that strongly favored the plaintiffs and limited Newsmax's ability to defend itself," the company said, arguing that the proceedings were unfair and undermined the role of the press in a free society.
The settlement does not require Newsmax to issue an on-air retraction or apology—an omission that both the company and its critics have noted. CEO Chris Ruddy, speaking to NPR, suggested that the lack of a required correction or apology allows readers to "read into that what they will." Ruddy also expressed concern about Delaware's judicial environment, suggesting that the state may be a risky place for companies after a string of unfavorable rulings for high-profile businesses.
This is not the first time Newsmax has faced legal consequences for its election coverage. In 2024, the network settled a similar defamation lawsuit brought by Smartmatic, another voting machine company, for $40 million. Payments for that settlement are ongoing, with the second half due by the end of June 2025. The legal onslaught against conservative media over 2020 election lies has not been limited to Newsmax. Fox News, perhaps the most prominent defendant, paid $787.5 million to Dominion in 2023 after Judge Davis found that Fox had aired numerous lies about the election, despite internal communications showing executives knew the claims were false. Like Newsmax, Fox was not required to apologize or retract its statements on air.
The lawsuits have exposed the inner workings of conservative media in the post-election period. Internal documents from Newsmax, revealed as part of the Dominion case, show that employees and executives knew the claims about election fraud were baseless but continued to air them, seeing a business opportunity in catering to viewers who believed Donald Trump won. Newsmax host Bob Sellers, just two days after the election was called for Biden, asked in a message, "How long are we going to play along with election fraud?" Employees repeatedly warned against false allegations from pro-Trump guests like attorney Sidney Powell. Even Chris Ruddy, a close Trump ally, privately described it as "scary" that Trump was meeting with Powell, whose conspiracy theories included outlandish claims involving deceased Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.
The fallout for Dominion has been severe. The company reported extensive harm, including death threats and lost revenue, as a direct result of the false claims aired by Newsmax and other outlets. Dominion's legal strategy has been aggressive, targeting not only networks but also individuals such as Powell, former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, and My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell. The company has also settled with One America News and continues to pursue other cases, including a $2.7 billion defamation suit against Fox News brought by Smartmatic, which could go to trial in 2026.
For Newsmax, the settlement comes at a pivotal moment. The network recently went public, and its stock rose about 15% on the New York Stock Exchange following the announcement of the settlement. The payments to Dominion will be made from company revenue, according to statements to investors. Avoiding a high-profile trial spares Newsmax further negative headlines and the risk of even larger damages, but the financial and reputational costs are still significant.
The broader context of these legal battles is the ongoing struggle over truth and accountability in American media and politics. Falsehoods about the 2020 election being stolen from Donald Trump were widespread, fueled by the former president himself and amplified by sympathetic news outlets. Trump, who has never conceded defeat, continues to attack voting machines and mail-in ballots. On August 18, 2025, he vowed on social media to eliminate both, though he did not specify any particular company. His claims have been repeatedly debunked by officials from both parties, including his own attorney general, William Barr, and confirmed by numerous recounts, audits, and court rulings.
Judge Eric Davis, who presided over both the Fox News and Newsmax cases, was unequivocal in his assessment of the evidence. In the Fox case, he declared it was "CRYSTAL clear" that none of the allegations against Dominion were true. The same clarity applied to the Newsmax case, where the judge found all at-issue statements were false and defamatory. The settlements, while costly, have spared the networks from even harsher verdicts that could have resulted from jury trials focused on malice and punitive damages.
As the dust settles, the ramifications for media, politics, and the legal system remain profound. The lawsuits have set new benchmarks for the consequences of spreading false claims, especially those that undermine the democratic process. For Dominion and Smartmatic, the battle is not yet over, with additional lawsuits still pending. For Newsmax and its peers, the settlements may serve as a cautionary tale—but whether they change the media landscape for good remains an open question.
In the end, the Newsmax settlement underscores the high price of misinformation and the enduring challenge of balancing press freedom with responsibility and truth in a polarized nation.
