Newsmax to Pay Dominion $67 Million to Settle Defamation Lawsuit Over 2020 Election Claims
In an unusual move, the media company cited judicial bias for its decision to settle the $1.6 billion lawsuit, while continuing to stand by its election coverage.
WILMINGTON, DEL. – Newsmax Media has agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $67 million to end a high-stakes defamation lawsuit, resolving claims that the network knowingly aired false theories about the voting machine company rigging the 2020 presidential election.
Dominion, which had originally sought $1.6 billion in damages, confirmed the settlement in a statement, with a spokesperson saying, “We are pleased to have settled this matter.” The agreement resolves all litigation against Newsmax concerning its coverage of the 2020 election.
In a highly unusual statement, Newsmax announced the settlement while simultaneously attacking the legal process, claiming it chose to settle because the Delaware Superior Court judge overseeing the case was prejudiced. “From the very beginning, Judge (Eric) Davis ruled in ways that strongly favored the plaintiffs and limited Newsmax’s ability to defend itself,” the company said, asserting it was being punished for not being sympathetic to President Joe Biden, who is from Delaware.
Newsmax said it stood by its coverage as “fair and balanced.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Newsmax will pay the $67 million in three installments, funded from its revenue. The first payment of $27 million was made last Friday, with subsequent payments of $20 million each scheduled for January 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027. Following the news, Newsmax stock saw a roughly 5% increase, trading at $12.75 a share.
The settlement averts a trial that was expected later this year. Newsmax specifically criticized Judge Davis’s prior rulings, including one from April that determined the network had indeed published defamatory and false statements. The company also stated that the judge refused to allow the jury to hear about the landmark $787.5 million settlement Fox News paid to Dominion in 2023 to resolve a similar case, which was also overseen by Judge Davis. Newsmax argued this information was critical for a jury to know.
This is the second major legal settlement for Newsmax regarding its 2020 election coverage. The company previously paid $40 million to settle a separate case brought by another voting technology company, Smartmatic.
The case was filed in Delaware, where Newsmax was incorporated at the time. The company has since reincorporated in Florida, a move it attributes to what it alleges is bias in Delaware’s courts.
