OANN and Smartmatic Reach Settlement in 2020 Election Voting Case

Smartmatic, a voting machine company, has reached a settlement in a defamation lawsuit with One America News Network (OANN) related to coverage of the 2020 election, as per a filing in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

Last year, Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $785 million over its coverage of the 2020 election. No details of the settlement with Smartmatic and OANN were disclosed.

Smartmatic still has ongoing lawsuits against Fox News, Newsmax, Mike Lindell, Sidney Powell, and Rudy Giuliani. Neither Smartmatic nor OANN provided a comment to Newsmax on the settlement.

OANN attorney Chip Babcock confirmed to CNN that the case has been resolved through a confidential agreement. Smartmatic attorney J. Erik Connolly stated to The Hill that a confidential settlement has been reached.

In the lawsuit against OANN’s parent company, Smartmatic claimed that OANN spread disinformation by suggesting that the 2020 election was stolen and voting machines had switched votes from President Trump to President Biden without any evidence to support these claims.

Although Smartmatic has faced criticism in the past, especially regarding its technology, it has resolved the litigation with OANN. Smartmatic also faced controversy over its ties to Venezuelan officials and allegations about its involvement in election irregularities in the Philippines.

The Trump team made unfounded claims linking Smartmatic and Dominion Voting Systems after the 2020 election, alleging software manipulation without offering any evidence. Despite these allegations, Smartmatic remained under scrutiny, with past investigations into its U.S. market activities.

Last year, the Department of Justice filed charges against a top Philippine official for accepting a bribe from Smartmatic, although the company denied any illegal activities in its business practices.