Voting technology company Smartmatic and far-right network One America News have settled a defamation lawsuit related to false claims made by OAN about the 2020 election. The details of the settlement remain confidential, but Smartmatic had filed a lawsuit against OAN in 2021, alleging that the network spread lies about the company’s role in the election to increase viewership and revenue. This settlement follows a similar massive settlement reached by Fox News with Dominion Voting Systems, another voting technology company targeted with false claims after the election.
OAN has gained a reputation as one of the most extreme pro-Trump cable news outlets, regularly promoting baseless conspiracy theories that support Trump, particularly regarding the 2020 election. The network has been involved in propagandistic activities, such as working with Russian operatives on a documentary and collaborating with Trump’s legal team to subvert the election results in 2020. OAN settled a defamation lawsuit with a former Dominion executive in September, which exposed the network’s collaboration with Trump campaign lawyers and others to spread lies about the election. DirecTV dropped OAN from its lineup in 2022, impacting the network’s viewership and revenue.
Smartmatic’s lawsuit against OAN alleged that the network’s hosts and guests made numerous false claims about the company’s involvement in the 2020 election. Among these claims were assertions that Smartmatic software was used in voting machines in multiple states, including battleground states, when in reality, it was used in one California county. OAN personalities also falsely suggested that Smartmatic’s software was utilized to manipulate votes from Trump to Biden and to engage in digital “ballot-stuffing.” The lawsuit was still in the discovery phase when the settlement was reached, and scheduled depositions for OAN executives Charles Herring and Robert Herring Jr. did not take place.
While the Smartmatic case has been resolved, OAN still faces a separate defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion over its promotion of false claims about the 2020 election. The Herrings, who are executives at OAN, were accused by Smartmatic of potentially engaging in criminal activities by obtaining and sharing internal passwords of Smartmatic employees. However, no judicial finding of wrongdoing was made against the Herrings. OAN’s reputation for spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories has led to legal challenges, including multiple defamation lawsuits from voting technology companies targeted with false claims after the 2020 election.
