The Washington Post Lawsuit Ruling: Judge Dismisses Trump Media's $3.8 Billion Case

A federal judge in Florida dismissed a $3.8 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Trump Media and Technology Group against The Washington Post. U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber ruled that the corporate enterprise failed to provide evidence showing the newspaper acted with actual malice.

Credit: Ron Cogswell / Flickr

The legal dispute originated from a May 2023 article titled "Trust linked to porn-friendly bank could gain a stake in Trump's Truth Social." The reporting focused on the financial arrangements of the social media company before its public merger.

Trump Media claimed that the article contained false statements regarding an $8 million loan and a $240,000 finder fee. The company alleged that the coverage created a false narrative of securities fraud and caused financial harm.

Judge Barber ended the litigation during the summary judgment phase of the case. The judge stated in a summary docket entry that the plaintiff did not meet the required legal standard for public figures.

Judge Barber wrote:

"[Trump Media] has failed to present evidence that would allow a jury to find by clear and convincing evidence that [The Washington Post] published the allegedly defamatory statements with actual malice."

The judge indicated that a full written opinion detailing the legal rationale will follow shortly. Under United States law, prominent public figures must demonstrate that a publisher either knew a claim was false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.

Lawyers representing The Washington Post argued that reporter Drew Harwell conducted a thorough investigation before publishing the story. Harwell interviewed Will Wilkerson, a co-founder and former company officer who provided internal corporate documents to federal investigators.

The reporter also reviewed an invoice from the brokerage firm Entoro Securities and an unsigned referral fee agreement before publication. The newspaper's legal team stated that the editorial staff held full confidence in the accuracy of the report at the time it went to print.

A spokesperson for The Washington Post released a statement welcoming the judicial outcome on Tuesday.

The statement read:

“We are pleased with the court's decision and look forward to reviewing its written order upon release,”

Trump Media officials contested the ruling and argued that a jury should evaluate the facts of the case. The company pointed to a formal correction that The Washington Post appended to the online article in May.

The correction noted that discovery during the litigation established that Trump Media did not actually pay the $240,000 loan referral fee mentioned in the original report. The newspaper added the note three years after the article first appeared online but stated the initial report accurately reflected the findings available at the time.

A spokesperson for Trump Media characterized the correction as an admission of falsehood by the newspaper.

The spokesperson stated:

“After three years, The Washington Post finally admitted its harmful story was false,”

The corporate statement continued:

“We believe a jury should decide whether these falsehoods were actionable and will evaluate whether to appeal last week's ruling in due course. We will also continue to hold the media accountable.”

Trump Media operates the Truth Social platform and completed its merger with Digital World Acquisition Corporation in early 2024. The company trades publicly on the Nasdaq exchange under the ticker symbol DJT.

Public financial filings show that the corporation continues to experience operational losses. The company reported less than $1 million in revenue during the first quarter of this year.

The legal action against The Washington Post is part of a series of lawsuits filed by Donald Trump and his businesses against news organizations.

A different Florida judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit against The Guardian, and Trump Media withdrew that case.

Dismissed cases also include a defamation suit against The Wall Street Journal regarding an unrelated report, which Trump refiled. Active lawsuits remain pending against the BBC, The New York Times, and the Des Moines Register.