Election Technology Defamation: Trump's Amplification of False Claims About Dominion Voting Systems and the Resulting Legal Fallout
Tier 3Ongoing2020-11-03 to 2026-04-09
Factual Summary
Following the November 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump and his allies launched a sustained campaign of false claims alleging that Dominion Voting Systems and other election technology companies had manipulated vote counts to steal the election. Trump personally amplified these claims through social media posts, public statements, and press conferences. The resulting defamation litigation produced the largest known media settlement in U.S. history and exposed the extent to which these claims were known to be false by those who promoted them.
Beginning in November 2020, Trump's legal team, including attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, publicly alleged that Dominion Voting Systems machines had been designed to flip votes from Trump to Biden. Powell claimed that Dominion had ties to Venezuela and the late Hugo Chavez. Giuliani alleged on multiple Fox News programs that Dominion's software was created "to fix elections." Trump himself promoted these claims on Twitter, retweeting allegations about Dominion and stating that its machines were "turning Republican votes to Biden."
On March 26, 2021, Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News Network in the Delaware Superior Court. Internal Fox News communications obtained during discovery revealed that Fox hosts and executives privately acknowledged the fraud claims were false while continuing to broadcast them. Text messages showed Tucker Carlson writing that Sidney Powell's claims were "insane" and "totally off the rails," while Sean Hannity texted that he did not believe the allegations. Fox Corporation Chairman Rupert Murdoch testified in a deposition that he wished Fox had been "stronger in denouncing" the false claims and acknowledged that some Fox hosts "endorsed" the election fraud narrative.
On April 18, 2023, Fox News settled the Dominion lawsuit for $787.5 million, the largest publicly known defamation settlement in American history. Fox acknowledged the court's ruling that statements about Dominion were false. No on-air apology or correction was required as part of the settlement.
Newsmax, which also broadcast false claims about Dominion, settled a separate Dominion defamation lawsuit in August 2025 for $67 million.
Smartmatic, another election technology company targeted by false fraud claims, filed a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, Giuliani, and Powell in February 2021. A New York appellate court rejected Fox's attempt to dismiss the lawsuit in January 2025, and the case continued toward trial.
Trump was not named as a defendant in the Dominion or Smartmatic lawsuits against Fox News, but his role in originating and amplifying the false claims was central to the factual record. Dominion filed a separate $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit against Giuliani and a separate lawsuit against Powell. In August 2023, Giuliani conceded in his defamation case that his statements about Dominion were false, and a jury subsequently awarded Dominion $148 million in damages.
Primary Sources
1. US Dominion, Inc. v. Fox News Network, LLC, Delaware Superior Court, No. N21C-03-257 (filed March 26, 2021; settled April 18, 2023)
2. Smartmatic USA Corp. v. Fox Corporation, et al., New York Supreme Court, Commercial Division (filed February 4, 2021)
3. Dominion Voting Systems v. Rudolph Giuliani, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
4. Fox News internal communications, depositions, and discovery materials released during the Dominion litigation
5. Rupert Murdoch deposition testimony, February 2023
Corroborating Sources
1. NPR: "Fox News settles blockbuster defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems," April 18, 2023
2. NPR: "Newsmax to pay $67 million to Dominion Voting over 2020 election coverage," August 18, 2025
3. NPR: "Fox News headed for trial over Smartmatic election fraud claims," January 10, 2025
4. CBS News: "Newsmax to pay Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems $67M to settle defamation case over 2020 election claims," August 18, 2025
Counterarguments and Context
Fox News stated that the settlement was a "business decision" and did not constitute an admission of wrongdoing beyond the terms of the agreement. Fox and its defenders argued that the network was covering newsworthy allegations made by the president's attorneys and that the First Amendment protects the right to report on the claims of public figures, even if those claims are ultimately found to be false. Trump's supporters maintained that questions about election security were legitimate and that voting systems should be subject to scrutiny. Giuliani, before conceding that his statements were false, argued that he was engaged in protected political speech and advocacy on behalf of his client. However, the Dominion discovery materials demonstrated that Fox hosts and executives knew the claims were false and broadcast them anyway, undermining the argument that the network was simply reporting on newsworthy allegations. The $787.5 million settlement, the $67 million Newsmax settlement, and the $148 million jury verdict against Giuliani reflect judicial findings or implicit acknowledgments that the claims were defamatory. Trump's personal amplification of the false claims was a driving force in the broader disinformation campaign, even though the defamation lawsuits targeted the media outlets and attorneys who broadcast them rather than Trump himself.
Author's Note
This entry is classified as Tier 3 because the false claims are documented through Trump's own public statements and social media posts, and the defamation litigation produced an extensive evidentiary record, including internal communications showing that the claims were known to be false. The entry focuses on Trump's role in amplifying the defamatory claims rather than on the Fox News litigation itself, which is a separate legal matter. The $787.5 million settlement and subsequent verdicts and settlements provide a factual benchmark for the seriousness and falsity of the claims Trump promoted.