Voting company Smartmatic USA sues Fox News, Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell over election fraud claims

A Fox News segment featuring host Lou Dobbs (left) is named in Smartmatic’s lawsuit.(Supplied: Fox News)

A voting technology company is suing Fox News and three of its hosts, as well as two former lawyers for former president Donald Trump, claiming the defendants conspired to spread false claims that the company helped “steal” the 2020 US presidential election.

The $US2.7 billion ($3.55 billion) lawsuit filed in New York state court by Florida-based Smartmatic USA is one of the largest libel suits ever undertaken.

On January 25, a rival election-technology company — Dominion Voting Systems, which was also ensnared in Mr Trump’s baseless effort to overturn the election — sued former Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell for $US1.3 billion ($1.71 billion).

Unlike Dominion, whose technology was used in 24 states, Smartmatic’s participation in the 2020 election was restricted to Los Angeles County, which votes heavily Democratic.

Despite the company’s limited role in the election, US cable news network Fox News aired at least 13 reports falsely stating or implying the company had stolen the 2020 vote in partnership with Venezuela’s socialist Government, according to the complaint.

This alleged “disinformation campaign” continued even after then-attorney-general William Barr said the Department of Justice could find no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

The 285-page lawsuit alleges a December 10 segment by Fox News host Lou Dobbs accused Smartmatic and its CEO, Antonio Mugica, of working to flip votes through a non-existent backdoor in its voting software to carry out a “massive cyber Pearl Harbor”.

The complaint also alleges that Fox News hosts Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro also directly benefitted from their involvement in the conspiracy.

The lawsuit alleges that Fox News went along with the “well-orchestrated dance” due to pressure from newcomer outlets such as Newsmax and One America News, which were stealing away conservative, pro-Trump viewers.

Fox News Media, in a statement on behalf of the network and its hosts, rejected the accusations.

It said it was proud of its election coverage and would defend itself against the “meritless” lawsuit in court.

Fox News “is committed to providing the full context of every story with in-depth reporting and clear opinion,” the company said in a written statement.

Giuliani and Powell did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Smartmatic claims death threats poured in

For Smartmatic, the effects of the negative publicity were swift and devastating, the complaint alleges.

Death threats, including against an executive’s 14-year-old son, poured in as internet searches for the company surged, Smartmatic claims.

With several client contracts in jeopardy, the company estimates that it will lose as much as $US690 million in profits over the next five years.

It also expects it will have to boost spending by $US4.7 million to fend off what it called a “meteoric rise” in cyberattacks.