Judge Tosses Trump’s $3.8B Defamation Suit Against The Washington Post

AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File

A federal judge has thrown out Trump Media & Technology Group’s $3.8 billion defamation lawsuit against The Washington Post, ruling the company failed to meet the demanding legal standard required to take the case to trial.

The ruling marks the latest setback in a string of legal battles brought by President Donald Trump and his media company against major news organizations over their reporting.

The lawsuit, filed in 2023, targeted a Post article titled, “Trust linked to porn-friendly bank could gain a stake in Trump’s Truth Social.” Trump Media alleged the report was part of a “conspiracy” to damage the company.

U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Barber granted judgment in favor of The Post, finding Trump Media “failed to present evidence that would allow a jury to find by clear and convincing evidence” that the newspaper “published the allegedly defamatory statements with actual malice.”

Lawyers for The Post argued Trump Media could not satisfy that burden, telling the court its reporter, Drew Harwell, had “thoroughly investigated” the story and “had confidence in the article’s accuracy at the time of publication.”

In a statement to CNN, the newspaper reacted: “We are pleased with the court’s decision and look forward to reviewing its written order upon release.”

While the case was pending, The Post published a correction in May, acknowledging that “discovery in the ongoing litigation has established” two assertions in the original article were incorrect. The correction added the statements were “based on The Post’s reporting at the time of publication.”

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