Voting technology company Smartmatic said in December 2020 that is was considering suing President Trump, and conservative media outlets like Fox News, Newsmax and OANN for spreading conspiracy theories about the company because the false statements had been hurting business.
Apparently, Smartmatic was serious because the company has now filed a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News Media and some of the company’s on-air talent—Lou Dobbs, Jeanine Pirro and Maria Bartiromo—along with Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell.
Smartmatic claims that the defendants worked together on a “disinformation campaign” about the 2020 presidential election that is threatening its survival.
“We have no choice,” Smartmatic founder and CEO Antonio Mugica told CNN’s Oliver Darcy. “The disinformation campaign that was launched against us is an obliterating one. For us, this is existential, and we have to take action.”
The Smartmatic lawsuit, filed in New York state court, accused Fox, Giuliani, Powell, Dobbs, Bartiromo, and Pirro of intentionally lying about the voting technology company in an effort to mislead the public into the false belief that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Trump.
“They needed a villain,” the lawsuit said. “They needed someone to blame. They needed someone whom they could get others to hate. A story of good versus evil, the type that would incite an angry mob, only works if the storyteller provides the audience with someone who personifies evil.”
Fox News Media spokesperson told TVNewser in a statement, “Fox News Media is committed to providing the full context of every story with in-depth reporting and clear opinion. We are proud of our 2020 election coverage and will vigorously defend this meritless lawsuit in court.”
After Smartmatic made a legal threat last December, Fox News produced and aired a segment on Dobbs’, Pirro’s, and Bartiromo’s shows dedicated to debunking various inaccuracies and false statements made by the hosts, as well as some pro-Trump guests about the election.
Smartmatic’s lawsuit is similar in nature to the one filed by Dominion Voting Systems last week against Giuliani and Powell seeking billions of dollars in compensatory and punitive damages.