A voting software company, Smartmatic, has recently filed a lawsuit against Newsmax, a conservative news network, for defamation. Smartmatic claims that Newsmax spread false information about the company’s involvement in the 2020 presidential election.
The lawsuit specifically targets statements made by Newsmax guests, including attorney Sidney Powell and former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne, who claimed that Smartmatic was involved in a conspiracy to rig the election in favor of President Joe Biden. Smartmatic asserts that these claims are completely baseless and have damaged the company’s reputation.
Newsmax has since issued a statement acknowledging that there is no evidence to support the claims made by their guests regarding Smartmatic. The news network has also aired a segment debunking some of the false information that was previously spread on their network.
This lawsuit is part of Smartmatic’s efforts to hold media outlets accountable for spreading misinformation about the 2020 election. The company is seeking $2.7 billion in damages for the harm caused by the false claims. Newsmax has not yet publicly commented on the specific details of the lawsuit.