Newsmax, the conservative cable news network, has agreed to pay $67 million to Dominion Voting Systems, settling a high-stakes defamation lawsuit that accused the channel of spreading falsehoods about the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The agreement, disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing and confirmed by both companies, concludes a multi-year legal battle that had threatened to put Newsmax in the center of a dramatic public trial.
The settlement, reached on August 15, 2025, will be paid in three installments by January 2027, as reported by multiple outlets, including The Associated Press and Wall Street Journal. Newsmax’s decision to settle comes after a Delaware judge earlier this year ruled that the network had defamed Dominion, though the jury was left to decide whether Newsmax acted with "actual malice"—a legal standard requiring proof that the broadcaster knowingly spread false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
Dominion’s lawsuit, filed in August 2021, accused Newsmax of having “manufactured, endorsed, repeated and broadcast a series of verifiably false yet devastating lies” about the company in the aftermath of the 2020 election. The complaint detailed how Newsmax hosts and guests promoted baseless claims that Dominion “committed election fraud by rigging the 2020 Presidential Election” and “paid kickbacks to government officials.” According to AP, court documents revealed that internal Newsmax communications showed employees and even owner Chris Ruddy expressing doubts about the veracity of some of the claims aired on the network.
In a statement following the settlement, Newsmax maintained its position that its reporting was responsible and balanced. “We stand by our coverage as fair, balanced, and conducted within professional standards of journalism,” the company stated, as cited by AP and Wall Street Journal. Newsmax further asserted, “We believed it was critically important for the American people to hear both sides of the election disputes that arose in 2020.”
Notably, Newsmax was not required to issue a retraction or an apology as part of the agreement. CEO Christopher Ruddy, appearing on the network’s “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” emphasized, “We have no retraction. We give no apology. It just puts the matter behind us, because the cost of the legal continuance of this case would be onerous.” Ruddy also pointed out that the $67 million settlement was a fraction of the $1.6 billion Dominion originally sought in damages. “For us, it is a very positive story. We are glad it is behind us,” he said on air, according to Newsmax coverage.
The settlement is the latest in a series of high-profile legal actions stemming from false election claims. Dominion previously reached a $787.5 million settlement with Fox News in April 2023, just as a trial was set to begin. Newsmax also settled a $40 million defamation suit with another voting technology company, Smartmatic, over similar allegations. Both cases were overseen by Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis, who ruled that both networks had aired false information about Dominion, but left the final decision on malice and damages to a jury.
Dominion’s legal efforts are far from over. The company has ongoing defamation lawsuits against One America News and several individual Trump surrogates who, it alleges, amplified false claims about its voting machines. Meanwhile, Smartmatic continues its litigation against Fox News and its parent company, Fox Corp.
Throughout the litigation, Newsmax and other conservative media outlets have argued that their coverage of the 2020 election was protected by the First Amendment, insisting they were reporting on a newsworthy controversy. However, the courts have increasingly scrutinized this defense, especially when internal documents and communications suggest that network personnel knew or suspected the claims being aired were not credible. In the Fox News case, Judge Davis wrote that it was “CRYSTAL clear” none of the allegations about Dominion were true. Evidence in the Newsmax case similarly showed that executives and hosts harbored doubts about guests’ assertions, with one host, Bob Sellers, asking, “How long are we going to play along with election fraud?” just days after the election was called for Joe Biden.
Dominion’s spokesperson expressed satisfaction with the resolution, telling reporters, “We are pleased to have settled this matter.” The settlement, while substantial, is significantly less than the Fox News payout, reflecting differences in the networks’ reach and financial resources. Still, the $67 million figure marks one of the largest defamation settlements in U.S. media history, underscoring the serious legal risks of airing unsubstantiated claims about election integrity.
Newsmax’s public response has been defiant. CEO Ruddy, in his Monday night interview, criticized Judge Davis, alleging political bias and claiming that the court had prevented Newsmax from presenting evidence of its adherence to journalistic standards. “He was seizing our property because he did not like us politically. He is an activist Democrat. He had decided this case before we even sort of filed things,” Ruddy contended, as quoted by Newsmax. Ruddy also reiterated that the network had sought Dominion’s perspective multiple times and that Newsmax “accused Dominion of nothing.”
Despite this, internal documents revealed in court showed that Newsmax executives recognized the business potential in catering to viewers who believed Donald Trump had won the election. The network retracted some of the more sensational allegations in December 2020, but not before the damage to Dominion’s reputation was done, according to the lawsuit.
The financial markets responded positively to the settlement news. Shares of Newsmax, which began public trading earlier this year, jumped 15% on August 18, 2025, the first trading day after the announcement, according to Wall Street Journal and Newsmax itself. Ruddy described the conclusion of the litigation as a chance for the company to refocus and pursue growth. “In fact, without having this litigation, now we are going to be able to refocus the company and do a lot more than we were even expecting to,” he said.
The broader context of the settlement highlights the deep divisions and ongoing misinformation battles that have defined American politics since the 2020 election. While Donald Trump and his allies continue to insist—without evidence—that the election was stolen, multiple recounts, audits, and court cases (including some overseen by Trump-appointed judges) have affirmed Joe Biden’s victory. Former Attorney General William Barr, a Trump appointee, publicly stated there was no evidence of widespread fraud. Nevertheless, the persistence of conspiracy theories has fueled continued legal, political, and media turmoil.
With this settlement, Newsmax closes a significant chapter in the post-2020 election saga. For Dominion, the outcome is another step in its campaign to hold media organizations accountable for spreading falsehoods that, as the company claims, threatened its business and the integrity of American elections. As the dust settles, the case stands as a stark reminder of the high cost—financial and reputational—of broadcasting unsubstantiated claims in the modern media landscape.
