- The Washington Times - Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Dominion Voting Systems on Tuesday sued Newsmax and One America News, alleging the conservative networks defamed the company, which sells voting hardware and software, by pushing false claims about the 2020 election.

“This barrage of lies by the defendants and others have caused — and continue to cause — severe damage to our company, customers, and employees,” said Dominion CEO John Poulos, who is seeking $1.6 billion from both media outlets.

The suits accuse the networks’ anchors of promoting false allegations that Dominion committed fraud by rigging the election in favor of President Biden, despite officials, including former Attorney General William P. Barr and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, rebutting of such claims.

The voting company argues the outlets “made the intentional and knowing choice to publicize the lies about Dominion as truth, creating an alternate reality that continues to dupe millions of Americans into believing that Dominion stole the 2020 election from Trump.”

Dominion told the court that its employees “have been targeted and have received death threats and calls for jail time” because of the networks’ alleged actions.

The 213-page lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against One America News Network (OAN) claims its anchors promoted the falsities because they were “trying to seek favor from President Trump.”

“They did so because they knew that if they did, Trump would endorse the network and give it the huge ratings boosts it coveted; and they knew that if they did not — if, instead, defendants told OAN’s viewers the truth about Dominion and the election — Trump would attack the network and send it back to cable news irrelevancy,” the lawsuit states.

Similarly, the 177-page lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of Delaware against Newsmax asserts that the network knowingly lied “to curry favor with Trump” and “to recruit and keep viewers.”

Dominion alleges Newsmax knew that if it did not do so, the former president “would attack the network and cost it and its owners millions and millions of dollars.” 

A Newsmax spokesperson told The Washington Times in an email Tuesday afternoon that the network had not yet reviewed the complaint.

“While Newsmax has not reviewed the Dominion filing, in its coverage of the 2020 presidential elections, Newsmax simply reported on allegations made by well-known public figures, including the president, his advisors and members of Congress — Dominion’s action today is a clear attempt to squelch such reporting and undermine a free press,” the spokesperson said.

The voting company also filed a defamation lawsuit on Tuesday against Patrick Byrne, the founder and former CEO of Overstock.com.

Stephen Shackelford, a partner at Susman Godfrey LLP representing Dominion, said the Trump ally “is responsible for bankrolling and promoting a viral disinformation campaign about Dominion that reached millions of people worldwide.”

The complaints are the latest in a series of legal actions brought by the company, which says it is “taking steps to defend our good name and reputation.”

Mr. Poulos said “the defendants named show no remorse, nor any sign they intend to stop spreading disinformation” and that the company has “no choice but to seek to hold those responsible to account.”

Dominion also filed defamation lawsuits related to the 2020 election earlier this year against Fox News and former Trump Attorney Sidney Powell.

The Washington Times reached out to OAN and an attorney for Mr. Byrne for comment.

• Emily Zantow can be reached at ezantow@washingtontimes.com.

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