Voting machine manufacturer Smartmatic has filed defamation lawsuits against conservative news outlets Newsmax and One America News, citing “a continuous stream of falsehoods” by the networks alleging manipulated vote totals for President Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
The announcement adds to the growing number of claims against conservative news outlets by voting technology companies stemming from last year’s election.
“The damage to Smartmatic from this parallel universe of lies and disinformation has reverberated across the United States and in dozens of countries around the world,” said Smartmatic CEO Antonio Mugica in a statement Wednesday. “The global repercussions for our company cannot be overstated.”
The company claims that the two networks “repeatedly published reports claiming that Smartmatic and its software altered votes to ensure President Biden won.”
“Despite claims to provide viewers with honest, unbiased reporting, these outlets victimized Smartmatic by spreading false information about the company following last year’s election, all in their efforts to increase viewership and revenue,” Smartmatic’s attorney J. Erik Connolly said in a statement.
Newsmax and One America News did not immediately respond to The Washington Times’ request for comment. A Newsmax spokesperson told Reuters that Smartmatic’s lawsuit is “a clear attempt to squelch the rights of a free press.”
“While Newsmax has yet to receive or review the Smartmatic filing, Newsmax reported accurately on allegations made by well-known public figures, including the President [Donald Trump], his advisors, and members of Congress, as well as reporting on Smartmatic’s claims in its defense,” the spokesperson said.
Smartmatic, which provides elections technology in more than 25 countries, did not announce the total amount of damages it is seeking from the two companies.
The company filed a lawsuit against Fox News in February based on similar claims. In that case, the company is requesting $2.7 billion in damages.
A separate elections technology firm, Dominion Voting Systems, has brought similar suits against Fox News, OAN, and Newsmax seeking billions of dollars in damages from the defendants.
Fox News has moved to dismiss the cases brought by Dominion and Smartmatic.
“Seeking to impose billions of dollars in liability for [Fox’s] coverage goes beyond a chilling effect: It poses a direct threat to the reporting of newsworthy allegations on which our democracy depends. … Reporting both the allegations and the denials is critical to the truth-seeking function, not an invitation for groundless lawsuits,” the network argued in an April filing to dismiss the case brought by Smartmatic.
Dominion also has taken aim at attorneys Sydney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell for their conspiratorial claims about the 2020 election, which Dominion says damaged its brand.
In June, Mr. Lindell filed a $1.6 billion countersuit citing the First Amendment and claiming that Dominion had infringed on his right to free speech.
• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.
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