Voting technology company Dominion Voting Systems has filed defamation lawsuits against the parent companies for conservative news networks Newsmax and One America News, saying both networks defamed the Dominion brand by spreading accusations that it rigged the 2020 presidential election for President Biden.
In addition to Newsmax and OAN, the tech company, headquartered in Denver, is suing Patrick Byrne, the former CEO of Overstock.com., an online seller of furniture and other goods.
The lawsuit against Newsmax Media Inc. has been filed in the Superior Court of Delaware, while the suits against Herring Networks Inc. (owner of OAN), and Patrick Byrne have been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Also named in the lawsuit against One America News are the company’s owners Robert Herring and Charles Herring, as well as on-air talent Chanel Rion and Christina Bobb.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Dominion has accused the two networks of defaming the company and its products by airing false reports that its machines switched votes from then-President Trump to Biden. The company also said Byrne repeatedly and falsely alleged that Dominion rigged vote tallies to steal the 2020 presidential election for Biden. In each of the three lawsuits, Dominion is seeking more than $1.6 billion in damages, citing lost profit and other costs.
Back in May, Newsmax issued a statement apologizing to then-Dominion employee Dr. Eric Coomer, who sued the company, saying it had defamed him. Newsmax said that many contested states conducted recounts and certified their results as legal. Newsmax also has said that it was reporting on claims made by Trump and his supporters, which it reiterated in the statement below.
On Tuesday, Newsmax provided TVNewser with the following statement concerning the new lawsuit: “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.”
Newsmax also told TVNewser that it may have additional comment on the lawsuit later.
This isn’t the first time Dominion has sued a media company. In fact, the company has filed four other defamation lawsuits in recent months that are related to the 2020 presidential election. The defamation lawsuits have been against Fox News Channel, former New York mayor and Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, Trump attorney Sidney Powell, and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.
Fox News has since filed a motion to dismiss Dominion’s $1.6 billion lawsuit, saying its coverage of claims about presidential election fraud was newsworthy and that Dominion is seeking to “stifle the media’s free-speech right to inform the public.”