Dominion Lawsuit Update 2026, Fox News and Newsmax Settlements, the Mike Lindell Appeal and What Happened to the Election Defamation Cases

Dominion Voting Systems’ major defamation lawsuits over 2020 election claims have mostly ended in settlements and dismissals: $787.5 million from Fox News (2023), $67 million from Newsmax (2025), and confidential settlements with Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, One America News Network and Mike Lindell. The newest activity is a separate Lindell sanctions appeal tied to Smartmatic, not the settled Dominion claim. No public claim form or voter payment program exists.

This article covers Dominion Voting Systems (now under Liberty Vote ownership), not the separate utility Dominion Energy. Court findings, confidential settlements and unproven allegations are kept distinct below.

Dominion Lawsuit Update: Quick Facts

Detail	Latest verified information
Company	Dominion Voting Systems, acquired by Liberty Vote in October 2025
Issue	Allegedly false statements that Dominion machines manipulated the 2020 election
Fox News	$787.5 million settlement, April 2023
Newsmax	$67 million settlement, August 2025; final $20 million installment due on or before January 15, 2027
Rudy Giuliani	Confidential settlement, September 2025
Sidney Powell	Dismissed with prejudice after settlement, September 2025
One America News Network	Dismissed with prejudice, October 2025
Mike Lindell / MyPillow	Confidential settlement and dismissal, June 2026
Latest related appellate item	Smartmatic’s October 9, 2026 motion to dismiss Lindell’s sanctions-related appeal (D.C. Cir. No. 26-7168)
Dominion as defendant	U.S. Supreme Court denied review in the Fulton County, Pennsylvania contract case on March 23, 2026 (No. 25-704)
Public claim form or payments	None

Sources: Delaware Superior Court’s Dominion–Fox opinion, Newsmax’s SEC settlement disclosure and U.S. Supreme Court docket No. 25-704.

A settlement ends a dispute on agreed terms. It does not necessarily mean the defendant admitted wrongdoing or that a jury decided the contested allegations.

What Are the Dominion Lawsuits About?

After the November 3, 2020 election, some public figures and media outlets claimed Dominion’s voting machines switched votes or helped deliver the election to Joe Biden. Dominion denied this and said the statements were false, damaged its reputation and business with government customers, and led to harassment and threats against employees. It sued Fox News, Giuliani, Powell, Lindell and OAN, and filed a separate suit against Newsmax, arguing the defendants knew the claims were false or recklessly ignored the truth.

What Did Federal Agencies Say About Foreign Interference?

In March 2021, the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security said claims that foreign governments controlled voting infrastructure or manipulated vote counts were not credible and found no evidence a foreign government-affiliated actor altered the results. That addresses foreign interference specifically and is not a ruling on every dispute about election administration. See the DOJ–DHS joint statement. Each civil case still applied defamation law separately to each defendant and statement.

Dominion v. Fox News: The $787.5 Million Settlement

Dominion sued Fox News Network in Delaware Superior Court on March 26, 2021, and later sued Fox Corporation. The cases were consolidated, and Dominion sought about $1.6 billion.

What the judge decided first. On March 31, 2023, Judge Eric Davis denied Fox’s summary-judgment motions and ruled that the challenged statements at issue were false and defamatory per se. He left actual malice and damages for trial. That ruling was significant but was not a jury verdict. See the opinion.

The settlement. On April 18, 2023, after a jury had been seated and before the trial began, the parties announced a $787.5 million settlement. Fox acknowledged the court’s rulings on the falsity of certain claims. No jury decided actual malice or damages, and the figure was negotiated, not a verdict.

Dominion v. Newsmax: The $67 Million Settlement

Dominion sued Newsmax over coverage of the election-fraud claims, seeking $1.6 billion. Newsmax maintained it was covering allegations made by public figures. The case settled in August 2025, and Newsmax disclosed the $67 million deal in an SEC filing.

Payment	Amount	Scheduled date
First installment	$27 million	August 15, 2025
Second installment	$20 million	January 15, 2026
Final installment	$20 million	On or before January 15, 2027
Total	$67 million

Newsmax reported a $20 million balance outstanding as of May 14, 2026. That is a contractual settlement obligation, not a new award. Later payment confirmation was not verified. See the SEC disclosure.

Dominion v. Rudy Giuliani: $1.3 Billion Sought, Confidential Settlement

Dominion sued Giuliani in January 2021 for $1.3 billion, alleging repeated false statements tying its machines to fraud. In September 2025 they settled confidentially and dismissed the case, with no amount disclosed. Giuliani did not pay $1.3 billion; that was the amount Dominion sought.

This is a different case from the defamation suit by Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, which produced a $148 million jury award in December 2023. See Rudy Giuliani Settles $148 Million Defamation Lawsuit With Georgia Election Workers and Rudy Giuliani Lawsuit Latest Today, Trump Pardon On $1.3 Billion Defamation Lawsuit, Active Cases, Court Rulings.

Dominion v. Sidney Powell: Dismissed With Prejudice

Dominion sued Powell in January 2021 over her claims about voting machines. On September 19, 2025, Dominion, Powell and related parties filed a stipulation of dismissal with prejudice, with each side bearing its own fees and costs. The settlement terms were not disclosed, and no public record reviewed shows Powell paid $1.3 billion. A dismissal with prejudice generally bars refiling the same claims between the same parties.

Dominion v. One America News Network: Dismissed in October 2025

Dominion sued OAN, its owners and related individuals in August 2021. On October 3, 2025, the parties filed a stipulation dismissing the claims with prejudice, each side bearing its own costs. No public settlement amount was identified.

Dominion v. Mike Lindell: The $1.3 Billion Case Ended in June 2026

Dominion sued Lindell and MyPillow in February 2021 for $1.3 billion. Lindell disputed the claims and filed counterclaims and third-party claims against Dominion and Smartmatic, which the court dismissed in May 2022. In June 2026, the parties reached a confidential settlement and the defamation case was dismissed. No amount was disclosed, and the $1.3 billion demand was not an award.

Why Is There Still a Lindell Appeal in 2026?

Related litigation with Smartmatic, a different election-technology company, continued. Smartmatic obtained sanctions against Lindell for claims the court found frivolous, followed by enforcement and a contempt ruling over nonpayment. Lindell appealed to the D.C. Circuit, and on October 9, 2026, Smartmatic moved to dismiss the appeal for failure to prosecute. The indexed docket lists it as Dominion Voting Systems Corporation et al. v. My Pillow, Inc. et al., No. 26-7168. A later ruling was not verified.

This appeal does not reopen the settled Dominion defamation claim. It concerns a sanctions dispute. See Smartmatic’s lawsuit updates and the docket index.

Smartmatic’s own defamation suits against media defendants are separate matters and are not covered here.

Other Related Cases: Coomer v. Byrne and Fulton County, Pennsylvania

Coomer and Patrick Byrne. Reporting indicates that in October 2026 a federal judge in Florida ruled for former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne in a defamation suit by former Dominion executive Eric Coomer, finding Coomer had not sufficiently shown actual malice over statements in a 2020 film Byrne produced. This detail was not independently verified here, so confirm it on the docket before relying on it.

Fulton County, Pennsylvania v. Dominion. In this case, Dominion was the defendant. A county and election officials brought a contract-based suit, and the district court dismissed it because the plaintiffs were not parties to the contract. The Third Circuit affirmed in June 2025, and the Supreme Court denied certiorari on March 23, 2026 (No. 25-704). A denial leaves the lower-court ruling in place and is not a ruling on election fraud. This is not the Fulton County, Georgia election disputes.

What Laws Govern the Dominion Defamation Cases?

Defamation and Defamation Per Se

Defamation generally means a false statement of fact, communicated to others, that harms reputation and meets the governing state’s requirements. Defamation per se covers categories treated as inherently damaging, such as accusing a business of serious wrongdoing, which can affect what damages must be proven. The Delaware court in the Fox case applied New York law through its choice-of-law analysis.

The Actual Malice Standard

Under New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964), public officials must prove a false statement was made with actual malice. Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts, 388 U.S. 130 (1967), extended the constitutional rules to public figures. Actual malice means knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for the truth, which St. Amant v. Thompson, 390 U.S. 727 (1968), tied to whether the speaker had serious doubts about the statement’s truth. It does not mean ill will. Evidence of what a defendant knew and how the statements were presented can matter. In the Fox case the settlement kept a jury from deciding the question.

First Amendment Protections

The First Amendment protects political speech and press freedom, which makes election-related defamation cases high stakes. It does not shield every false statement of fact, and courts separate protected opinion, rhetorical hyperbole and fair reporting from actionable falsehoods.

Choice of Law and Filing Deadlines

Defamation is largely state law, and the governing law can depend on where statements were published and where harm occurred. Limitations periods are short in many states. New York, for example, generally gives one year under CPLR 215(3). A win on one procedural point in one case does not decide another.

For another current example of a dispute over public statements, see Hasan Piker Lawsuit 2026, $72.5 Million Defamation Case Against Scott Jennings Explained. For a separate election-law matter that is not part of Dominion’s litigation, see Judge Blocks DOJ Voter-Roll Checks What Voters Need To Know.

Did Dominion Win Every Lawsuit?

Outcomes differ. Dominion obtained major settlements from Fox and Newsmax, and its cases against Giuliani, Powell, OAN and Lindell ended in settlements and dismissals. Confidential settlements do not establish admissions of liability, and a dismissal does not mean a court found the allegations false. The Fox case is distinctive because the court ruled on falsity before settlement. In the Fulton County, Pennsylvania case, where Dominion was the defendant, the plaintiffs’ suit was dismissed and review was denied. No single label fits all of these cases.

Is There a Dominion Settlement Claim Form for Voters?

No. These were individual civil suits by Dominion against specific defendants, not class actions. Voters do not receive money from the Fox or Newsmax settlements, and there is no administrator, claim form or deadline. Be wary of sites advertising a “Dominion settlement payment” for voters unless a verified court order and official notice establish one.

What Happens Next in the Dominion Lawsuits?

• Newsmax: the final $20 million installment is scheduled on or before January 15, 2027.
• Lindell appeal: the D.C. Circuit may rule on Smartmatic’s motion to dismiss. The October 9, 2026 motion is the latest verified entry.
• Fulton County, Pennsylvania: the Supreme Court’s denial leaves the dismissal in place.

The Dominion defamation claims against Fox, Giuliani, Powell, OAN and Lindell are resolved.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Dominion Lawsuits

What is the latest Dominion lawsuit update in 2026?

The major defamation suits have largely settled. The latest related development identified is Smartmatic’s October 9, 2026 motion to dismiss Mike Lindell’s sanctions-related appeal, which is separate from Dominion’s settled claim against Lindell.

How much did Fox News pay Dominion?

$787.5 million, in a settlement announced April 18, 2023, before the jury decided actual malice or damages.

Did Newsmax pay Dominion $67 million?

Newsmax agreed to a $67 million settlement in August 2025, with a final $20 million installment due on or before January 15, 2027. The latest filing reviewed showed $20 million outstanding as of May 14, 2026.

Did Dominion settle with Mike Lindell?

Yes. The $1.3 billion defamation suit was dismissed after a confidential settlement in June 2026. The amount was not disclosed.

Is Dominion still suing Rudy Giuliani?

No. That case ended in a confidential settlement in September 2025.

Did Sidney Powell pay Dominion $1.3 billion?

No public record reviewed shows that. It was the amount sought. The case was dismissed with prejudice after a confidential settlement.

Is the Dominion lawsuit a class action?

No. They were individual suits by Dominion against specific defendants.

Did the Dominion lawsuits prove the 2020 election was rigged?

No. They concerned whether defendants made false statements about the company. They did not ask a court to decide the election outcome. The DOJ and DHS found no evidence of manipulation by a foreign government-affiliated actor.

What is the case number for the latest Lindell appeal?

D.C. Circuit No. 26-7168. It involves a sanctions dispute with Smartmatic, not a new Dominion defamation claim.

Is Dominion Energy involved?

No. Dominion Energy is a separate utility. Its legal matters, such as local permitting and offshore wind disputes, are unrelated to Dominion Voting Systems.

Sources

1. Delaware Superior Court, March 31, 2023: Dominion v. Fox News Network and Fox Corporation
2. Newsmax SEC settlement disclosure
3. U.S. Supreme Court, Fulton County, Pennsylvania, et al. v. Dominion Voting Systems, Inc., No. 25-704
4. Dominion–Powell stipulation of dismissal
5. Dominion–OAN stipulation of dismissal, Oct. 3, 2025
6. Smartmatic lawsuit updates
7. D.C. Circuit No. 26-7168 docket index
8. DOJ–DHS joint statement on foreign interference in the 2020 election

This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. AllAboutLawyer.com is a legal information website, not a law firm. Allegations described have not been proven in court unless a court finding is stated.

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, legal content researcher and founder of AllAboutLawyer.com. All facts verified against the Delaware Superior Court’s March 31, 2023 Dominion–Fox opinion, Newsmax’s SEC settlement disclosure, the U.S. Supreme Court docket (No. 25-704), the filed dismissal stipulations, the D.C. Circuit docket index (No. 26-7168), and the DOJ–DHS joint statement, as of October 29, 2026. Last Updated: October 29, 2026.