Smartmatic has accused Newsmax of destroying evidence in a lawsuit filed against the news channel for false claims that the voting machine company helped rig the 2020 election. According to court documents, Smartmatic alleges that Newsmax engaged in a cover-up by deleting texts and emails from key executives that would show the network knew the voting fraud claims pushed by former President Donald Trump and his allies were untrue. The lawsuit is one of many defamation cases filed by Smartmatic and Dominion Voting Systems against news organizations over false fraud claims from the 2020 election.
The potential damages in these cases are substantial, as shown by Fox News paying Dominion a settlement of $787.5 million just moments before opening statements in a Delaware courtroom. Smartmatic is suing Newsmax for defamation in the same court, alleging that the company promoted false claims it knew to be untrue for profit. Newsmax denies the allegations, and the case is set to go to trial in September. The filing in this case references text messages in which Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy discussed Trump’s attorney Sidney Powell, accusing Newsmax of deleting these messages but saving them as evidence.
Smartmatic’s attorney, J. Erik Connolly, stated that Newsmax’s misconduct goes beyond accusing Smartmatic of rigging the election, alleging that the news channel also tried to conceal evidence of its actions and did not follow its own journalistic standards. The new filing also alleges that Newsmax lied under oath about the existence of its own journalistic guidelines. Newsmax has not responded to requests for comment on these allegations. Smartmatic is also suing Fox News for similar claims for $2.7 billion in damages, with the trial expected to begin in early 2025.
In April, Smartmatic settled a lawsuit against OANN, another right-wing news channel that allowed false election fraud claims on its air. Dominion still has suits pending against OANN and Newsmax, and both companies have filed suit against Powell, Rudy Giuliani, and Mike Lindell. These defamation cases show the ongoing impact of false claims about the 2020 election and illustrate the legal battles that media organizations continue to face over their coverage of voting fraud allegations. The cases highlight the importance of preserving evidence in legal proceedings and the potential consequences for parties found to have engaged in misconduct or destroyed evidence.
