According to an announcement from an attorney for One American News Network (OANN), the right-wing news outlet has settled a defamation suit brought by the voting tech giant Smartmatic over false claims about rigged voting machines in the 2020 election.
OANN attorney Chip Babcock told CNN that the suit, "Has been resolved pursuant to a confidential agreement."
Also releasing a statement was Smartmatic’s lead attorney Erik Connolly, who said the company, "Has resolved its litigation against OANN through a confidential settlement."
As CNN pointed out, both parties were mum on the specific details of the settlement.
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Smartmatic's suit against OANN was part of a string of lawsuits filed against right-wing networks and personalities that pushed claims about mass voter fraud in 2020. The suit was filed in 2021 and alleged OAN “victimized” the company by spreading lies about voter fraud to “increase viewership and revenue.”
Smartmatic has additional lawsuits pending that target Fox News and Newsmax. According to CNN, OANN is the "most extreme" of the conservative-leaning networks that broadcasted false claims about 2020.
"The channel worked closely with Russian operatives on a propaganda-style documentary during Trump’s first impeachment in 2019 over allegations he pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals," CNN's report stated. "One of its correspondents, who is also an attorney, even worked with Trump’s legal team to subvert the 2020 election results."
OANN has also fallen under controversy for pushing false claims about the COVID-19 pandemic and the mandates that came along with it.
In July of 2022, the OANN was dropped by Verizon. The network still faces similar litigation from voting tech company Dominion Voting Systems.
As Deadline reported, Smartmatic provided voting technology to Los Angeles in 2020, but not anywhere else in the country.
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