Dominion sues OANN and Newsmax over 2020 election fraud broadcasts

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Dominion sued One American News Network (OANN) and Newsmax Media Inc. on Tuesday.
• The voting machine company argued that both conservative networks defamed its reputation which resulted in profit loss.
• Dominion previously also filed a lawsuit against Fox News, citing a similar case.

Dominion Voting Systems Corp filed a lawsuit against One American News Network (OAN) and Newsmax Media Inc. on Tuesday, arguing that both conservative media outlets slandered the company by promoting false information that it manipulated the 2020 Presidential elections against former President Donald Trump.

The voting machine firm also filed a lawsuit against Overstock.com Inc. (OSTK.O) former chief executive Mr. Patrick Bryne.

Dominion is seeking damages of over $1.6 billion for each of the three legal complaints due to profit loss and tainting its reputation.

In response to the suit, Newsmax released a statement, saying that it “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.”

Meanwhile, Bryne and representatives from the OANN had not yet provided a response.

In May, Fox News made a similar approach in a court filing as it asked a judge to debunk the suit, arguing that news agencies “must be able to report both sides of a story involving claims striking at the core of our democracy.”

In April, Newsmax gave an apology to a Dominion worker named Eric Coomer after the network claimed without evidence that he manipulated the vote counts in favor of President Joe Biden. Coomer eventually opted to drop the defamation lawsuit.

Trump has repeatedly claimed widespread voter fraud without providing any substantial proof. All of his legal challenges were tossed out by several courts. Even then-Attorney General William Barr said that the election was safe and secured, and that there was not any trace of fraud.

Trump’s legal counsel, headed by Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, promoted a conspiracy that Dominion machines were utilized to swing the vote counts against the former president. Those claims had been broadcasted by the conservative media networks.

Both Giuliani and Powell were also facing lawsuits by Dominion.

Dominion lawyer Stephen Shackelford told reporters in a previous call that they were “still exploring options as to how to hold other participants in the campaign of lies accountable.”

Source: Reuters