Legal Battle Between Voting Company and Newsmax

Attorneys representing Smartmatic, an electronic voting company, urged a Delaware judge on Thursday to rule in their favor in a defamation lawsuit against conservative news outlet Newsmax. Smartmatic claims that Newsmax hosts and guests made false statements following the 2020 presidential election, suggesting the company was involved in vote manipulation. Smartmatic attorney J. Erik Connolly emphasized that the company did not participate in rigging the election and that its software was not used to alter any votes. Newsmax, which is also based in Florida, is seeking a pre-trial ruling from Superior Court Judge Eric Davis, arguing that it was merely reporting on serious allegations made by former President Donald Trump and his supporters. Newsmax attorney Misha Tseytlin contended that the network should be protected under Florida's “fair reporting” privilege, asserting that there is no evidence of harm caused to Smartmatic by their reporting. Connolly countered this claim, stating that the reports aired by Newsmax were neither balanced nor neutral, and highlighted that over a five-week period, the network aired 24 allegedly defamatory reports without evidence to support claims of widespread voter fraud. Tseytlin maintained that Newsmax employees were following directives to report fairly on public interest matters, emphasizing that allegations of fraud had not been substantiated. This hearing comes shortly after a federal grand jury indicted three Smartmatic executives in a separate bribery scheme involving voting machines in the Philippines.