In a recent development, Smartmatic, the voting equipment company, has reached a settlement in a defamation lawsuit with One America News Network (OAN). The lawsuit was filed by Smartmatic in November 2021, alleging that OAN spread disinformation about the 2020 election, falsely claiming that Smartmatic's equipment had flipped the election in favor of President Biden.

The details of the settlement remain confidential, as confirmed by Erik Connolly, Smartmatic's lawyer. The agreement was notified to a federal judge in Washington, and both parties have agreed to dismiss the case.

Defamation cases in the United States are notoriously difficult to win, requiring plaintiffs to prove that defendants knowingly spread false information. However, in this case, documents inadvertently provided by OAN's lawyers indicated that the network had obtained a spreadsheet containing Smartmatic employees' passwords. Smartmatic's legal team suggested in court filings that this action could potentially constitute a crime.

One significant consequence of the settlement is that internal documents from OAN, shedding light on how the network evaluated and weighed claims about the 2020 election, will not be made public. This outcome is reminiscent of past defamation cases involving media outlets and election claims, where the disclosure of internal documents provided crucial evidence.

The settlement with OAN marks another development in a series of defamation cases aimed at holding media outlets accountable for spreading false information about the 2020 election. Earlier this year, OAN settled a defamation case brought by two Atlanta election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, who were falsely accused by the network of involvement in election fraud. OAN later clarified on air that the allegations against Freeman and Moss were unfounded.

Smartmatic still has an ongoing $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News. Furthermore, Smartmatic and Dominion, another voting equipment company, have defamation cases against key figures such as Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, and Mike Lindell. These cases hold significant importance as legal scholars closely observe whether defamation law can effectively combat misinformation.

The settlement reached between Smartmatic and OAN signifies a step towards holding media outlets accountable for spreading false information about the election. As the legal battles continue, they provide an opportunity to analyze the role of defamation law in addressing the issue of misinformation and its impact on public discourse. A September trial date has already been set for Smartmatic's defamation case against Newsmax, further highlighting the significance of these legal proceedings in shaping future discourse surrounding elections and media responsibility.