A federal judge in Florida dismissed on Wednesday a Trump company’s defamation lawsuit against The Washington Post, which published a 2023 article about a financial entity’s dealings with the organization.
Trump Media and Technology Group sued the Post in May 2023 after the publication reported on an obscure financial body that billed itself as a top payment service for adult entertainment sites that stood to gain a sizable stake in the president’s media company amid merger negotiations. That potential role had not been officially disclosed to shareholders or the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Post reported, using leaked documents.
Lawyers for Trump Media accused the publication of being on a “years-long crusade” against the company and stating that the report created an “existential threat.” Trump’s team sought $3.8 billion in damages.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Patrick Barber, a Trump appointee, sided with the Post on July 2. Barber ruled that Trump Media had “failed to present evidence” that the newspaper had published its story with “actual malice” — which the plaintiff in defamation cases is required to concretely prove.
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A spokesperson for the Post said the publication was “pleased with the court’s decision and look forward to reviewing its written order upon release.”
Trump Media did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Trump and Trump-backed organizations have repeatedly sued — and lost — defamation court cases against news publications. In April, a federal judge tossed Trump’s defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal after it reported a sexually suggestive letter with the president’s signature had been gifted to Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump’s lawyers are expected to attend an oral argument in Florida for a separate defamation case against The New York Times after a federal judge denied the newspaper’s request to move the case to New York, the president wrote on Truth Social Tuesday.
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