Newsmax to Pay $67M to Dominion Over 2020 Election Lies
Newsmax has agreed to pay $67 million to Dominion Voting Systems to settle a long-running defamation lawsuit stemming from false claims about the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The settlement, announced on August 18, marks the latest major payout over baseless conspiracy theories that Dominion’s machines were rigged.
The case, originally filed in 2021, sought $1.6 billion in damages. Delaware Judge Eric Davis had ruled that Newsmax defamed Dominion and set the case for trial. Facing the prospect of a jury verdict, Newsmax opted to settle. The deal will see the conservative network pay $27 million upfront, followed by two $20 million installments in 2026 and 2027.
Newsmax insisted its coverage was “fair, balanced, and conducted within professional standards of journalism,” but claimed the Delaware courts were biased and would not provide a fair trial. In announcing the settlement, Newsmax went further, urging other businesses to leave Delaware entirely. The company itself has re-domiciled in Florida.
This is not the first time Newsmax has had to pay up. In 2024, it settled a defamation suit with Smartmatic for $40 million. Dominion, meanwhile, secured a record-breaking $787.5 million settlement from Fox News in 2023 over similar falsehoods. Together, the payouts underline the steep financial and reputational costs of promoting election lies.
For Dominion, the latest deal represents another vindication in a series of courtroom victories. For Newsmax, it is both a costly retreat and a reminder that the legal fallout from the 2020 election is still far from over.