Election and voting technology company Smartmatic has settled its nearly three-year-long defamation case against One America News Network. The settlement was announced on Tuesday, and the terms remain confidential.
In a statement provided to CNN, OAN’s attorney Chip Babcock said: “The case has been resolved pursuant to a confidential agreement.” (TVNewser has reached out to OAN for comment, but none was received at press time.)
Per court documentation shared on social media by Washington Post media reporter Jeremy Barr, dismissal of the lawsuit stipulates that each party is responsible for its own attorney fees, costs and expenses and both will “withdraw and terminate all pending motions submitted in this action.”
Scoop: Smartmatic and One America News Network have agreed to settle their lawsuit
Smartmatic sued in November 2021 over claims made during the network’s coverage of the 2020 election pic.twitter.com/fZwUfqvN3l
— Jeremy Barr (@jeremymbarr) April 16, 2024
The origins of the lawsuit date back to the contentious aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, when Smartmatic accused several news networks—including Fox News, Newsmax and OAN—of repeatedly publishing reports claiming that the company and its software altered votes to ensure President Joe Biden‘s victory over former President Donald Trump.
Upon filing its lawsuit in November 2021, Smartmatic accused OAN of knowingly and deliberately spreading “a continuous stream of falsehoods that harmed Smartmatic and negatively impacted the company’s business.” (The company filed separate defamation suits against Fox and Newsmax Media. Both cases remain ongoing.)
In September, OAN settled another defamation suit brought by former Dominion Voting Systems executive Eric Coomer. Terms of that settlement were also not disclosed.