A voting machine company’s defamation lawsuit against Newsmax appears to be headed toward trial following a Delaware judge’s ruling on Thursday. Florida-based Smartmatic accused Newsmax and

Smartmatic, which is registered in Delaware and operates from Boca Raton, Florida, is suing Newsmax, alleging that its false claims damaged the company's reputation. Newsmax said it was using its first amendment free speech rights to report the allegations.

For the first time, a cable news network (Newsmax) will have to defend itself from claims it defamed a voting company (Smartmatic) after the 2020 election.