⚖️ Biggest media defamation payouts ranked: Fox's $787.5M tops
As the Macrons sue Candace Owens in Tennessee, here is who paid most in media defamation cases. Owens defends her claims as free speech. 🗣️
By MrViral, creators desk · Desk editor Gustavs Ērkšķis-Kreicbergs · · 4 min read
RANKEDPhoto: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America · CC BY-SA 2.0What we know
- Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron filed a second defamation suit against Candace Owens in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, in a complaint dated Nov. 4, The Christian Post reported.
- Owens confirmed the new suit in an X post; she has defended her claims as free speech and called the case a legal overreach, per The Sun.
- Fox News settled Dominion Voting Systems' defamation suit for $787.5M in April 2023, which CNN called the largest publicly known media defamation settlement in US history.
- Newsmax agreed to pay Dominion $67M in August 2025 and Smartmatic $40M in a deal disclosed in March 2025; Newsmax says it never defamed Dominion.
- CNN reports ABC News paid $177M in 2017 to Beef Products Inc. over its 'pink slime' coverage.
The Macrons have gone back to court. Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron filed a second defamation suit against podcaster Candace Owens in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, The Christian Post reported, in a complaint dated Nov. 4 that The Sun describes as 411 pages long. Their lawyers accuse Owens of spreading "outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions" about Mrs Macron's gender. Owens confirmed the filing on X, and has previously defended her claims as free speech.
The first suit, filed in Delaware in July 2025, was narrowed last month after a judge ruled that court had no authority over Owens, who lives in Nashville, per The Sun. The reports read for this piece state no dollar figure the Macrons are seeking, and nothing in them is decided. The complaint alleges Owens used her podcast to sell merchandise and collect donations; a podcast, a merch table and a donations link make a very 2026 exhibit list, if the filing's account holds. So here is the receipts-first record of what media defendants have actually paid.
The ranking
| Rank | Defendant | Plaintiff | Amount | When | How it ended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fox News | Dominion Voting Systems | $787.5M | April 2023 | Settled after the jury was sworn in |
| 2 | ABC News | Beef Products Inc. | $177M | 2017 | Paid after a years-long dispute, per CNN |
| 3 | Newsmax | Dominion Voting Systems | $67M | August 2025 | Settled; Newsmax denies defaming Dominion |
| 4 | Newsmax | Smartmatic | $40M | Settled Sept. 2024, disclosed March 2025 | Settled days before trial |
Fox News pays Dominion $787.5M
Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems settled on April 18, 2023, as a Delaware trial was about to open, with Dominion having sued for $1.6B. Judge Eric Davis had ruled on March 31 that all 20 statements Dominion sued over were false, per CNN. Dominion's CEO John Poulos said Fox "admitted to telling lies"; NBC News reports the public settlement terms carried no apology or admission of defamation. CNN calls it the largest publicly known defamation settlement in US history involving a media company.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)"We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false."
Fox statement on the Dominion settlement, as reported by NBC News
ABC News pays Beef Products Inc. $177M
CNN reports that ABC News paid $177M in 2017 to end its years-long dispute with South Dakota meat processor Beef Products Inc. over the textured beef product the network called "pink slime." CNN says that settlement was believed at the time to be the biggest ever paid in a US media defamation case. The reports read give no further terms.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)Newsmax pays Dominion $67M
Newsmax agreed to pay Dominion $27M in August 2025 and another $40M over the next two years, per CNN, in a deal disclosed in a Newsmax financial filing. A Delaware judge had ruled in April 2025 that Newsmax broadcast false and defamatory statements about Dominion, leaving a jury to decide malice and damages, per CNBC. Newsmax maintains it never defamed Dominion and said it believed the judge would not provide a fair trial; CNN notes that claim came without evidence.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)Newsmax pays Smartmatic $40M
Newsmax settled Smartmatic's suit in September 2024 while jury selection was under way, calling it a confidential settlement, per The Hill. The $40M figure surfaced in a Newsmax regulatory filing dated March 7, 2025, per The Indian Express. Smartmatic had initially pegged its damages at $1.7B, later adjusted to about $370M, according to statements at a hearing reported by The Hill.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)Where Owens fits
The big numbers on this list are settlements, not jury verdicts, and they followed court rulings on falsity: Judge Davis found the Fox statements false before the Fox deal, and found Newsmax's statements false and defamatory before its $67M deal, per CNN and CNBC. Owens has no such ruling against her in these documents. Her answer to the new filing, in court, is not in the reports read; on X she confirmed the suit, and she has said the case represents "one of the grossest legal overreaches by a foreign government leader in human history," per The Sun. The Macrons' lawyers say they are giving her the Tennessee venue she demanded, per The Christian Post.
One footnote from Paris, per The Sun: the Macrons won a 2024 defamation case against two bloggers over similar claims, with symbolic fines, but a French appeals court overturned the convictions in July, saying they acted in good faith. If you want the lesson of the timeline, MrViral offers this: the filing is the cheap part.
Quick quiz · 3 questions
By the numbers
- 15 mofrom first to latest entry on record
- 9receipts behind this story
Earlier on file: Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron sue Candace Owens in Tennessee
The Candace Owens file
- Admitted
Owens confirmed on X that the Macrons filed a new set of claims against her, per The Sun. Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron sue Candace Owens in Tennessee
- Filed
Macrons' second defamation complaint against Owens dated Nov. 4 in Tennessee federal court, per Hromadske. Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron sue Candace Owens in Tennessee
- Filed
Macrons file second defamation suit against Owens in the Middle District of Tennessee, per The Christian Post. This story
- Ruled
A Delaware Superior Court judge ruled the court lacked personal jurisdiction over Owens, per The Christian Post. Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron sue Candace Owens in Tennessee
- Admitted
Owens said on her podcast that a legal team estimated the case would cost millions, per The Bulwark. Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron sue Candace Owens in Tennessee
On file: The Candace Owens file · The Dominion Voting Systems file · The Newsmax file · The Smartmatic file
The Ledger
On the record
- Fox paid Dominion $787.5M (2023); Newsmax agreed to pay Dominion $67M (2025) and Smartmatic $40M; CNN reports ABC paid $177M (2017).
- The Macrons filed a second suit against Owens in Tennessee federal court, and Owens confirmed it on X.
Still rumour
- No dollar figure for the Macrons' demand appears in the reports read, and no court has ruled on their claims against Owens.
- Owens' formal response in the Tennessee case is not in the documents read.
That's the record. The rest is rumour. - MrViral
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