Election Tech Company Sues Fox News, Giuliani And Others For $2.7 Billion

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Sidney Powell, center, and Rudy Giuliani, left, are defendants in a new lawsuit filed by the electronic voting systems maker Smartmatic. The company is seeking more than $2.7 billion over what it says was a «disinformation campaign about its role in the 2020 election.

Image from Smartmatic lawsuit/Screengrab by NPR

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Image from Smartmatic lawsuit/Screengrab by NPR

«Without any true villain in Trump’s election loss, the company says in its complaint, «Defendants invented one. It adds that during the 2020 election, Smartmatic’s election technology and software was used only in one place in the U.S.: Los Angeles County.

But, the e-voting company says in court documents, Fox News and the other defendants created a different narrative:

«In their story, Smartmatic was a Venezuelan company under the control of corrupt dictators from socialist countries. In their story, Smartmatic’s election technology and software were used in many of the states with close outcomes. And, in their story, Smartmatic was responsible for stealing the 2020 election by switching and altering votes to rig the election for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Millions of people believed the negative coverage of Smartmatic, resulting in a cascade of fallout, the company says. According to the court filing, employees received hate mail and death threats, and its clients began to be nervous about doing business with the tech firm. Its reputation for providing secure, transparent election technology «was irreparably harmed, Smartmatic says.

NPR’s David Folkenflik contributed to this report.