Newsmax will find itself in a Delaware courtroom later this month after a judge ruled the network defamed a voting software company by airing false claims about the 2020 election.
Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis ruled on Wednesday that the conservative news company had defamed Dominion Voting Systems when its anchors frequently and uncritically broadcast President Donald Trump’s false claims that he won the 2020 election.
The case will now head to a jury trial on April 28 to determine whether the company acted with “actual malice”—a high legal standard that requires the plaintiff to show the defendant intended to defame them.
“The Court concludes that all the Statements are … defamatory because each suggests that Dominion aided in election fraud,” Davis wrote.
Newsmax told the Daily Beast in a statement that it covered the 2020 election “fairly” and “at no time did it defame Dominion.”
“This case represents a serious threat to free speech and a free press, and Newsmax will defend itself vigorously at trial,” it said.
Dominion said it was “gratified by the Court’s thorough ruling.”
Newsmax was founded in 1998 by CEO Chris Ruddy, a conservative journalist, businessman, and longtime friend of Trump. It currently operates multiple TV networks and a website.
Dominion and Smartmatic, another voting software company, brought a series of lawsuits against conservative media companies in late 2020 and early 2021 after Trump’s election lies persisted on their airwaves.
The companies singled out comments Trump lawyer Sidney Powell made on Fox News and Newsmax shows, along with comments made by Fox News anchors such as Maria Bartiromo and Lou Dobbs and Newsmax anchor Greg Kelly.
Fox News settled with Dominion in April 2023 for $787 million, though it faces a trial with Smartmatic later this year. Newsmax settled with Smartmatic in September for $40 million.
Newsmax had gotten a dose of optimism this month after its initial public offering on the stock market sent its stock price soaring, closing at an all-time high of $265 last week. After opening at $34 on Thursday, it is currently floating at $29.
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