Right-wing network Newsmax agreed to pay $67 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems, which had alleged the network falsely claimed the electronic-voting vendor rigged votes in the 2020 presidential election to Donald Trump’s detriment.
Dominion Voting Systems originally filed its lawsuit against Newsmax in 2021, seeking $1.6 billion in damages. Dominion alleged that certain statements made in Newsmax’s coverage of the 2020 presidential election were defamatory. In an April 2025 ruling in the case, Judge Eric Davis of the Delaware Superior Court said Dominion had presented “clear and convincing evidence” that the statements from Newsmax were false and that they would “likely cause reasonable viewers to think significantly less favorably about Dominion than if the viewers knew the truth.”
In a similar case, Fox News agreed to pay $787.5 million in April 2023 to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems, which alleged Fox News repeatedly and knowingly aired false claims about the voting company’s actions and influence on the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
In an SEC filing Monday, Newsmax said, “On August 15, 2025, Newsmax Media, Inc. and Newsmax Broadcasting, LLC entered into a settlement agreement with Dominion Voting Systems, Inc. and certain of its affiliates (‘Dominion’), pursuant to which such parties agreed to resolve the lawsuit among them for a total amount of $67 million to be paid in the current and next two fiscal years.”
Per the filing, the payments will be made in three installments: $27 million paid on Aug. 15, 2025; $20 million on or before Jan. 15, 2026; and $20 million on or before Jan. 15, 2027.
In a statement, Newsmax said: “Newsmax believed it was critically important for the American people to hear both sides of the election disputes that arose in 2020,” the company said in its statement. “We stand by our coverage as fair, balanced, and conducted within professional standards of journalism.”
More to come
