Newsmax and Smartmatic Settle Defamation Case Over 2020 Election
Smartmatic settled its defamation lawsuit against Newsmax, the right-wing broadcaster, on Thursday as a jury was being selected before the trial. The details of the settlement were not immediately disclosed. Smartmatic, an election technology company, had accused Newsmax of trying to entice viewers from its rival, Fox News, by airing reports linking Smartmatic to baseless conspiracy theories that it had helped swing the 2020 election for Joseph R. Biden Jr. The lawsuit was filed in Delaware Superior Court in 2021. Jury selection in the case began on Thursday morning, and the trial had been expected to take up to four weeks. “Newsmax is pleased to announce it has resolved the litigation brought by Smartmatic through a confidential settlement,” a Newsmax spokesman said in a statement. In April, Smartmatic settled a similar defamation claim against One America News Network. The settlement amount in that case was not disclosed. This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates. Katie Robertson covers the media industry for The Times. Email: katie.robertson@nytimes.com More about Katie Robertson Newsmax Media, Smartmatic SGO Group Inside the Media Industry — WhatsApp: News outlets are experimenting with a feature in the world’s most popular messaging app that allows them to send links and headlines directly to followers. — New York Magazine: Olivia Nuzzi, a star political reporter at the magazine, has been placed on leave after disclosing a personal relationship with the former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — ESPN: Adrian Wojnarowski, whose use of social media helped change the sports journalism landscape, retired from ESPN to become general manager of the basketball team at St. Bonaventure University. — The Haitian Times: Racist emails. Swatting. Intimidated sources. The digital publication has been receiving some of the same threats that it has been covering in Springfield, Ohio. — Axel Springer: The media company, which owns Business Insider and a portfolio of German newspapers, has struck a deal that will anoint its chief executive, Mathias Döpfner, as the undisputed magnate of a transcontinental media empire.
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