Smartmatic Files Defamation Suits Against Newsmax and OAN

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Smartmatic, a voting technology company subjected to baseless claims of fraud amid the 2020 election, has filed defamation suits against both Newsmax and One America News Network.

“Despite claims to provide viewers with honest, unbiased reporting, these outlets victimized Smartmatic by spreading false information about the company following last year’s election, all in their efforts to increase viewership and revenue,” said J. Erik Connolly, attorney for Smartmatic, in a press release. 

In separate lawsuits, Smartmatic specifically sued OAN and Newsmax for baselessly accusing the company of rigging the election against former President Donald Trump, despite knowing the claim was false.

“OANN knew that the statements and implications that it made about Smartmatic were false and/or it acted with reckless disregard regarding whether its statements and implications were true,” reads the suit against One America. “OANN did not care about making truthful statements about Smartmatic. OANN was motivated to tell a false story about how Smartmatic fixed, rigged, and stole the 2020 U.S. election for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”

Similarly, the suit against Newsmax claims it “acted with actual malice,” as the network “knew that the statements and implications that it made about Smartmatic were false.”

“The damage to Smartmatic from this parallel universe of lies and disinformation has reverberated across the United States and in dozens of countries around the world,” said CEO of Smartmatic Antonio Mugica. “The global repercussions for our company cannot be overstated.”

While the suits do not specify how much Smartmatic is demanding from Newsmax and OAN, the voting company will be seeking damages caused by the election conspiracies, which Reuters reported totals up to $2 billion in losses.

The news comes after Smartmatic filed a massive $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News and some of the network’s hosts (Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, and Jeanine Pirro) for running a “disinformation campaign” against the company. The network and its hosts filed a motion to dismiss the suit in February, arguing its coverage was protected as free speech.

Fox News, OAN, and Newsmax, along with Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, also face defamation claims brought by Dominion Voting Systems, a voting company that was also falsely accused of election fraud.