Newsmax settles Smartmatic defamation suit over 2020 false election claims

FILE PHOTO: A Newsmax booth broadcasts as attendees try out the guns on display at the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual convention in Houston, Texas, U.S. May 29, 2022. Picture taken through glass. REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare/File Photo

WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) - Newsmax Media said on Thursday it had reached a confidential settlement of allegations that the conservative outlet damaged Smartmatic by broadcasting false claims that the voting machine company helped steal the 2020 U.S. presidential election from Donald Trump.

The agreement came on the eve of a four-week jury trial, with opening arguments scheduled to begin in Wilmington, Delaware on Sept. 30.