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US judge throws out Trump’s $3.8bn defamation lawsuit against Washington Post
The Guardian • • nation
Key Points:
- A federal judge in Florida dismissed Donald Trump’s $3.8 billion defamation lawsuit against the Washington Post, ruling that Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) failed to prove actual malice by the newspaper.
- The lawsuit stemmed from a 2023 Washington Post article alleging TMTG sourced funds from a financial entity linked to a Caribbean bank servicing adult entertainment sites and failed to disclose a $240,000 finder's fee.
- Judge Thomas Patrick Barber, appointed by Trump, granted summary judgment in favor of the Post, stating the absence of malice meant the case could not succeed.
- The Post later issued a correction clarifying that Trump Media did not pay the alleged referral fee, and no such payment was undisclosed to shareholders or regulators.
- This ruling is the latest in a series of legal defeats for Trump in defamation cases against media outlets over unfavorable reporting.
