With the pathway to a defamation trial cleared and the possibility of paying $1.6 billion in damages hanging over its head, Newsmax Media, Inc. and Newsmax Broadcasting, LLC. (Newsmax) agreed to a $67 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, Inc. (Dominion) on August 15, 2025, as indicated by a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The far-right cable channel neither apologized nor admitted blame in the resolution, which centered on its baseless accusations that Dominion's voting machines were used to commit election fraud in the 2020 elections. This was the second time Newsmax has paid a settlement based on its false claims.
Eroding Trust in the Voting System
Newsmax was founded in 1998, with Newsmax TV launched in 2014. The cable channel's programming follows the same basic style used by the much larger and more prominent Fox News, although Newsmax TV often embraces viewpoints and stances that take a significantly more far-right position.
In general, the hosts of Newsmax TV shows are less well-known than their Fox News counterparts. The biggest names are probably Greta Van Susteren, who spent 14 years at Fox News, and Greg Kelly, a former Marine pilot who also briefly spent time as a Fox News reporter.
In the aftermath of Donald Trump's loss to Joseph Biden in the 2020 elections, Newsmax TV began heavily promoting unfounded claims about election fraud by both its regular hosts and the guests it brought on its shows. The voting machines of Dominion and Smartmatic were frequent targets of unsubstantiated allegations of voting manipulation by Newsmax host and guests, with many rumors touted as factual despite presenting no evidence to support the accusations.
After dozens of legal challenges alleging voting fraud were dismissed for lack of any proof, those who had suffered through a seemingly endless barrage of falsehoods besmirching their reputations began to strike back. Both Dominion and its former employees were able to extract relief in libel and defamation cases against the wild accusations they'd faced. Dominion won a $787.5 million settlement against Fox News in 2023, which didn't bode well for Newsmax TV.
Literally Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
In a period spanning about a month after the election, Newsmax TV hosts and guests offered up a mesmerizing and sometimes strikingly implausible litany of alleged transgressions committed by Dominion. These included:
- Asserting that Dominion engaged in voter manipulation to steal the election from Trump
- Claiming that Dominion had been founded as a way to rig elections in other countries
- Accusing Dominion of being directly involved in voting irregularities in places like Texas
- Alleging Dominion had kick-back deals set up with governors in battleground states that used their machines
Newsmax continued to lob accusations against Dominion and its voting machines, but failed to follow up with actual proof. Identifying a number of defamatory statements broadcast on the channel, Dominion filed suit against Newsmax TV in 2021, seeking a whopping $1.6 billion in damages.
The cable channel could likely see the writing on the wall after an April 2025 ruling in Delaware Superior Court granted Dominion a partial summary judgment. With 18 of the 19 statements identified as evidence allowed to remain in the lawsuit, the settlement was announced in mid-August. Newsmax had previously settled with Smartmatic in 2024 for $40 million.
Related Resources
- Tucker Carlson Successfully Argues Nobody Really Believes Tucker Carlson Is Reporting Facts (FindLaw's Practice of Law)
- Libel, Slander, and Defamation Law: The Basics (FindLaw's Torts and Personal Injury Law)
- Fox Settles Defamation Case for $787.5 Million (FindLaw's Courtside)
