BY NBC NEWS
Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, two businesses that provide voting machines, will probably bring stacks of fresh evidence and Donald Trump’s supporters into public court when they reapply for office in 2019.
Despite the lack of substantial proof of voting fraud, Trump loyalists and conservative media sites accused both businesses of manipulating the 2020 election. Separate lawsuits claiming defamation against Fox News, Newsmax, Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, well-known election denier Mike Lindell and his business MyPillow, and other parties have been filed by each of them.
In 2024, over ten of these issues will be heard in national courts as Trump navigates the primary season and maybe a general election as well.
In addition to revealing fresh information about the origins of unfounded allegations of an election rigged, the litigation may compel former Trump allies and aides to take depositions or testify under oath in public court. It may also serve as a constant reminder to voters of Trump’s attempts to reverse the results of the 2020 election as he runs for office again.
Dominion’s lawsuit against Fox News and Fox Corporation, the first of its kind, dominated headlines for many months this year. Following litigation that exposed hundreds of pages of depositions and internal correspondence, Dominion reached a settlement for $787.5 million.
Many Fox News journalists responded sarcastically and skeptically to the president’s allegations of a stolen election, according to internal texts and emails. In one email discussion, it was discovered that a lady who claimed she could time-travel and communicate with the wind was a major source for Powell’s fraud charges. In other exchanges, it was revealed that prominent conservative prime-time television show Tucker Carlson had secretly said he detested Trump.
“The same conspiracy theories, the same people, the same consequences for democracy—all of that is on deck again,” First Amendment expert RonNell Andersen Jones of the University of Utah College of Law said.
These four trials might significantly impact the outcome of the election.
Mike Lindell & MyPillow v. Smartmatic / Trump
Mike Lindell rose to prominence as a famous conservative and outspoken election skeptic, yet his most memorable TV appearance was selling foam-filled pillows. He promoted his pillows while holding demonstrations, going on TV, and making erroneous claims that voting machines were rigged to steal the U.S. election in 2020 and beyond. He is being sued by Smartmatic in a Minnesotan court on charges of slander and dishonest business activities. In addition to damages, they want the bogus claims to be withdrawn.
Although any dispositive motions, which are motions to dismiss part or all of the claims or seek a bench decision, might make evidence public as early as this month, the case could go to open court as early as April 1. Such moves exposed hundreds of pages of material in the Fox News lawsuit against Dominion for the first time.
Newsmax Media v. Smartmatic
In November 2021, Smartmatic filed a lawsuit against Newsmax Media, a rival of Fox News and a conservative network, claiming that the news outlet had disparaged the business. The corporation was formed in Delaware, and the trial is set to start there on June 3. Motions to dismiss might be heard in late February.
According to the court record, Trump aides Stephen Bannon and Michael Flynn have already been served subpoenas in Smartmatic’s lawsuit against Newsmax.
DV Systems Dominion v. Newsmax Media
In August 2021, Dominion filed a $1.6 billion lawsuit against Newsmax, claiming slander as well. Judge Eric Davis, who oversaw Dominion’s Fox News lawsuit earlier this year, has issued a court order setting the date of a jury trial in Delaware on September 30, 2024. Motions for disapproval must be submitted by July 18. Dominion utilized summary judgment filings in its lawsuit against Fox News to make hundreds of pages of evidence available to the public, sparking a media frenzy.
A Delaware judge’s decision sets September 2024 for Dominion’s trial against Newsmax, and filings that will make much of the case’s evidence public are anticipated in the summer.
Fox News vs. Smartmatic
In February 2021, Smartmatic filed a massive $2.7 billion lawsuit against Fox News and Fox Corporation, claiming the network had defamed and portrayed the firm as “the villain in their story” of election fraud. The corporation claimed that the network’s assertions that their election equipment was extensively used in the United States and had been utilized to rig the presidential election had a negative impact on their business and image.
Fox reports that a trial is not anticipated until 2025, although significant files may arrive before to the election.
