Smartmatic claims it destroyed evidence in voting machine company Newsmax’s lawsuit against the right-wing news channel over false allegations that Smartmatic helped “rigg” the 2020 election, according to court documents released this week.
Lawyers for Florida-based Smartmatic allege Newsmax engaged in a “cover-up” by destroying texts and emails from key executives, suggesting the network knew allegations of voter fraud by former President Donald Trump and his allies were untrue. will demonstrate. Smartmatic says the deletions came after Newsmax received notice to preserve evidence for a pending lawsuit.
The lawsuit is one of several major defamation cases brought by Smartmatic and Dominion Voting Systems against news organizations for false allegations of fraud in the 2020 election. Most are still pending, and a few could go to trial this fall — ensuring that Trump’s 2020 allegations of “rigged elections” remain in focus as the next presidential election approaches.
The potential payouts for damages to plaintiffs are significant. In 2023, moments before opening statements in a Delaware courtroom, Fox News is paid the voting machine company Dominion a $787.5 million settlement over similar false claims he made on air.
Smartmatic is suing Newsmax for defamation in Delaware Superior Court, the same court that heard the Fox Dominion case for unspecified damages. He claimed the company made claims it knew were false because it attracted viewers and therefore profit. Newsmax denies the allegations. The case is scheduled to go to trial in September.
The new filing refers to private text messages from Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy to Trump attorney Sidney Powell, which Smartmatic said were deleted from Ruddy’s devices but kept by other witnesses and presented to plaintiffs during discovery. . Powell was a guest on Newsmax and the source of false allegations of voter fraud by Smartmatic and other companies. The document also alleges that the company lied under oath about its own journalism guidelines.
Smartmatic attorney J. Eric Connolly said in a statement: “Newsmax’s misconduct goes beyond accusing Smartmatic of US election fraud; he also attempted to conceal evidence of his actions and failed to adhere to his own journalistic standards. Smartmatic’s move represents multiple instances of evidence destruction, including the deliberate theft of incriminating emails and texts from Newsmax executives.
A spokesperson for Newsmax did not respond to requests for commentt.
Smartmatic is also suing Fox News over similar claims for $2.7 billion in damages. This trial is expected to begin in early 2025. Fox denied the allegations.
in April, Smartmatic sued OANN, another right-wing news channel that aired false allegations of election fraud. Dominion still has lawsuits against OANN and Newsmax, and both companies have filed lawsuits against Powell, Rudy Giuliani and Mike Lindell.