Fox News is pushing back against Smartmatic’s $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit, asserting in a new court filing Wednesday that the case lacks merit and is an attempt by a failing company to recoup losses. The filing comes as the network seeks summary judgment following its $787 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over similar 2020 election coverage.
“Smartmatic is not Dominion,” Fox stated, describing the firm as plagued by “a decade of business failure,” lacking certifications, and tied to controversial elections abroad. The network argued that it simply reported on “remarkable and newsworthy allegations” made by President Trump and his legal team, not defamatory claims.
Smartmatic, in its own filing, accused Fox of knowingly spreading falsehoods and deceiving its viewers to boost ratings. The company alleges top Fox executives, including Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, privately dismissed Trump’s claims yet publicly promoted them. Smartmatic says Fox only embraced election fraud narratives after backlash over its Arizona call for Biden.
The voting company claims the coverage destroyed its reputation, cost it contracts, and led to over 100 job losses. Fox countered that Smartmatic is exaggerating its value and that no proof exists of actual damages or lost deals.
Both parties filed heavily redacted motions for summary judgment. Smartmatic originally sued Fox in 2021, alleging intentional defamation in the wake of the 2020 election.
Fox also argues that it did not broadcast any defamatory statements about Smartmatic with actual malice, but instead sought to “accurately convey what the President was claiming (and still claims).” According to the network, “That is not defamatory.”
