Smartmatic And OAN Reach Settlement In Election Rigging Defamation Case

Smartmatic has reached a settlement with One America News Network over claims that the news outlet amplified false claims that the voting systems company rigged the results of the 2020 election.

“Smartmatic has resolved its litigation against OANN through a confidential settlement,” said attorney Eric Connolly, who is representing the voting company in the lawsuit.

An attorney for OAN, Chip Babcock, did not immediately return a request for comment.

The terms were not disclosed.

In its lawsuit filed in 2021, Smartmatic alleged that “as other news organizations publicly acknowledged that they had seen no evidence to support claims of election fraud or of voting machines switching votes, OANN mocked those news organizations and doubled down on its attacks on voting machines. OANN knew its assertions about Smartmatic were not true. OANN had seen no evidence to support the assertions. But OANN chose to spread disinformation.”

Smartmatic provided election technology and services to Los Angeles County during the 2020 U.S. election, but not anywhere else in the country. In the lawsuit, the company said that “OANN published report after report naming Smartmatic as one of the voting machine companies that had conspired to steal the election by switching votes from former President Trump to current President Biden. It was all a lie. And OANN knew it.”

Smartmatic still has lawsuits pending against Newsmax and Fox News. CNN first reported on the settlement.