What Is the Trump Media Washington Post Lawsuit?
The Trump Media Washington Post lawsuit is a single-plaintiff defamation case that Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. brought against WP Company LLC, the publisher of The Washington Post, over a May 13, 2023 news article. It is not a class action or a multidistrict litigation, and no other claimants joined it.
The case is Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. v. WP Company LLC, No. 8:23-cv-01535, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa. Trump Media first sued in Florida's Sarasota County state court in May 2023, and CourtListener's docket records July 10, 2023 as the date the case entered federal court on a notice of removal.
The article, titled "Trust linked to porn-friendly bank could gain a stake in Trump's Truth Social," covered how Trump Media was raising money ahead of its planned merger with the blank-check company Digital World Acquisition Corp. Judge Thomas Barber granted the Post summary judgment on July 2, 2026, which is the Washington Post ruling most searches for this lawsuit are looking for.
Why Was the Trump Media Washington Post Lawsuit Filed?
The Trump Media Washington Post lawsuit was filed because Trump Media said the May 13, 2023 article contained false and defamatory statements about its financing. The article reported that Trump Media had received $8 million in loans from an obscure financial entity, ES Family Trust, and had agreed to pay a $240,000 finder's fee to the brokerage Entoro Securities.
Trump Media's complaint called the article an "egregious hit piece" and described a "years-long crusade" against Donald Trump. According to the Post's summary judgment motion, the complaint first challenged nine statements, and after three rounds of motions to dismiss the claim narrowed to two statements, both about the finder's fee: that Trump Media paid the $240,000 fee and that Entoro, a brokerage associated with Patrick Orlando, received it.
The timing mattered because Trump Media was preparing to go public through the Digital World merger. The article also said the loans and the fee had not been disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission or Digital World shareholders, a statement the Post later corrected as to the fee.
What Harms Does the Trump Media Washington Post Lawsuit Allege?
The Trump Media Washington Post lawsuit alleges two claims, defamation and civil conspiracy, and both rest on the same two statements about the finder's fee. Each claim is defined in plain language below, followed by what Trump Media alleged. The court ruled on whether the Post acted with actual malice rather than deciding every allegation.
Defamation
Defamation is a legal claim that someone published a false statement of fact that damaged a person's or a company's reputation.
Trump Media alleged the two finder's fee statements were false because it says it never paid or agreed to pay a $240,000 fee. Because the court treated Trump Media as a public figure, the company also had to show the Post published the statements with actual malice, the standard the court later found Trump Media had not met.
Civil Conspiracy
Civil conspiracy is a legal claim that two or more parties agreed to commit a wrongful act that harmed the plaintiff, and it usually depends on a separate underlying wrong.
According to the Post's summary judgment motion, Trump Media's conspiracy claim was based on its defamation claim, so it could only succeed if the defamation claim did. Trump Media's complaint described the article as part of a "conspiracy" to damage the company, and the court granted the Post's motion, which asked for judgment on both claims.
What Is the Current Status of the Trump Media Washington Post Lawsuit?
The current status of the Trump Media Washington Post lawsuit is closed in the trial court, with summary judgment granted to The Washington Post and no appeal reported in the coverage reviewed for this page. CourtListener lists the case as terminated on July 17, 2026.
Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. v. WP Company LLC
Judge Thomas Barber granted The Washington Post's motion for summary judgment and denied Trump Media's own motion in a July 2, 2026 minute order. The order said Trump Media "failed to present evidence that would allow a jury to find by clear and convincing evidence" that the Post published the statements with actual malice, and it cancelled the pretrial conference set for July 13, 2026.
| Court | U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida (Tampa), federal court |
| Case number | 8:23-cv-01535 |
| Judge | Thomas P. Barber |
| Federal filing date | July 10, 2023 (removed from Sarasota County state court) |
| Plaintiff | Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. |
| Defendant | WP Company LLC, publisher of The Washington Post |
| Claims | Defamation and civil conspiracy |
| Amount sought | About $3.8 billion |
| Outcome | Summary judgment for the Post, July 2, 2026 |
| Docket status | Terminated July 17, 2026, per CourtListener |
In a written order reported on July 16, 2026, Barber called the Post's investigation and reporting "sloppy and inadequate" and noted the Post had to correct the article nearly three years into the litigation. He still ruled that he was bound by current law, under which a public figure must prove actual malice, meaning the publisher knew a statement was false or seriously doubted its truth, by clear and convincing evidence. He wrote that the law in this area "needs to be revisited" and that without that standard a jury would likely have decided the case.
A Trump Media spokesperson said the company would evaluate whether to appeal. Appeals from a federal judgment ordinarily must be filed within 30 days of entry of judgment, and no notice of appeal appeared in the coverage reviewed for this page, so readers should check the docket for the latest status.
Did the Washington Post Pay Trump Media Anything in the Lawsuit?
No. The Washington Post has not paid Trump Media anything, and no settlement has been reported, because the court granted summary judgment to the Post instead of sending the case to a jury.
Trump Media sought about $3.8 billion, but a damages award never came into play because the claims failed at summary judgment. That outcome could change only if an appeal succeeded, and only the court docket can confirm the current status.
Latest Trump Media Washington Post Lawsuit Updates
Trump Media Washington Post lawsuit updates show a case that ended at summary judgment in July 2026, after the Post corrected the article in May 2026. The timeline below lists every confirmed development in order, and the Washington Post ruling is the most recent substantive entry.
Trump Media Washington Post Lawsuit Timeline
Court Docket Lists the Case as Terminated
CourtListener's docket for Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. v. WP Company LLC, No. 8:23-cv-01535, lists the Middle District of Florida case as terminated on July 17, 2026, one day after the reported written order.
Judge Barber Issues Written Order Calling the Reporting "Sloppy and Inadequate"
Judge Thomas Barber's written order in the Trump Media case against The Washington Post said the evidence could lead reasonable people to find the Post's reporting "sloppy and inadequate," yet held that Trump Media's evidence of actual malice fell short of the clear and convincing standard.
Trump Media Says It Will Evaluate an Appeal
A Trump Media spokesperson told the Post on Monday that a jury should decide whether the statements were actionable, and that the company would evaluate whether to appeal the ruling in due course.
Barber Grants The Washington Post Summary Judgment
Judge Thomas Barber granted The Washington Post's summary judgment motion and denied Trump Media's in a minute order, and he cancelled the pretrial conference set for July 13, 2026 while promising a written order.
The Washington Post Corrects the 2023 Article
The Washington Post added a correction to its May 2023 article stating that discovery had established Trump Media did not pay a $240,000 loan referral fee, and that the related claim of nondisclosure to the SEC and shareholders was inaccurate.
The Washington Post Moves for Summary Judgment
The Washington Post filed its summary judgment motion in April 2026, arguing that reporter Drew Harwell had thoroughly investigated the article and that Trump Media could not show actual malice.
The Case Enters Federal Court
Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. v. WP Company LLC was filed in the Middle District of Florida on July 10, 2023 on a notice of removal from Sarasota County state court, and it was assigned to Judge Thomas Barber.
Trump Media Sues The Washington Post in Sarasota County
Trump Media & Technology Group sued The Washington Post for defamation in Florida's Sarasota County state court in May 2023, seeking about $3.8 billion over the article published on May 13, 2023.
The Washington Post Publishes the Article
The Washington Post published "Trust linked to porn-friendly bank could gain a stake in Trump's Truth Social" on May 13, 2023, reporting that Trump Media had received $8 million in loans from ES Family Trust.
What Did the Washington Post Know Before Publishing the Trump Media Article?
The Washington Post says reporter Drew Harwell thoroughly investigated the 2023 article before publication, and the court found Trump Media could not show the Post knew the finder's fee statements were false. According to the Post's summary judgment motion, Harwell interviewed Will Wilkerson, a Trump Media co-founder turned whistleblower, and Wilkerson's attorneys, and reviewed internal Trump Media documents attached to Wilkerson's SEC whistleblower complaint.
The motion says those sources told Harwell repeatedly that Trump Media had agreed to the fee and paid it, and that Harwell reviewed an Entoro invoice and an unsigned referral fee agreement. It also says Harwell contacted Trump Media, Entoro, and others eight days before publication and followed up with Trump Media when it did not respond.
Discovery later changed the picture on one point. In May 2026 the Post corrected the article, saying discovery had established that Trump Media did not pay a $240,000 loan referral fee and that the related nondisclosure statement was inaccurate because no such payment was made. Trump Media called the correction an admission that the story was false, but actual malice turns on what the Post knew or seriously doubted at the time of publication, which is the question the court answered in the Post's favor.
How Does the Trump Media Washington Post Lawsuit Compare to Other Trump Defamation Cases?
No other case shares this docket, and the Trump campaign's earlier lawsuit against the Post is a legally distinct case. The Trump campaign sued the Post in federal court in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 2020, over two opinion columns by Greg Sargent and Paul Waldman. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras dismissed it on February 3, 2023, without prejudice, finding that the campaign had not adequately pleaded actual malice for one column and that the other was protected opinion.
Other publishers have faced similar suits with different results. Trump Media dropped a defamation claim against The Guardian in April 2026, and a $15 billion suit against The New York Times and Penguin was tossed before an amended complaint followed, according to the Guardian. MS NOW commentary notes that ABC News and Paramount, the owner of CBS News, each agreed to $16 million settlements of Trump suits, while the Post fought this one and won at summary judgment.
| Case | Plaintiff | Defendant | Court | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trump Media v. WP Company (this page) | Trump Media & Technology Group | WP Company LLC | M.D. Fla. | Summary judgment for the Post, July 2, 2026 |
| Trump campaign v. The Washington Post (2020) | Trump 2020 campaign | The Washington Post | D.D.C. | Dismissed without prejudice, Feb. 3, 2023 |
| Trump Media v. The Guardian | Trump Media & Technology Group | The Guardian | Not identified in sources reviewed | Claim dropped, April 2026 |
| Trump v. The New York Times and Penguin | Donald Trump | New York Times, Penguin | M.D. Fla. | Initial claim tossed, amended complaint filed |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Trump Media Washington Post lawsuit about?
The Trump Media Washington Post lawsuit is about a defamation claim by Trump Media & Technology Group over a May 13, 2023 Post article reporting that the company agreed to pay and paid a $240,000 finder's fee tied to $8 million in loans.
Is the Trump Media Washington Post lawsuit a class action?
No. The Trump Media Washington Post lawsuit is a single-plaintiff defamation case, not a class action or multidistrict litigation, so there is no claimant class to join and no claims process.
Who won the Trump Media lawsuit against The Washington Post?
The Washington Post won the Trump Media lawsuit when Judge Thomas Barber granted its summary judgment motion on July 2, 2026, after finding Trump Media could not prove actual malice by clear and convincing evidence.
Did The Washington Post settle with Trump Media?
No. The Washington Post did not settle the Trump Media lawsuit, and no payment to Trump Media has been reported, because the court granted summary judgment to the Post.
Did Trump Media appeal the Washington Post ruling?
Trump Media said it would evaluate whether to appeal the Washington Post ruling, but no notice of appeal appeared in the coverage reviewed for this page, so the court docket is the place to confirm.
What is actual malice in the Washington Post lawsuit?
Actual malice in the Washington Post lawsuit means the Post published the statements knowing they were false or seriously doubting their truth, and a public figure plaintiff must prove it by clear and convincing evidence.
Is the Trump campaign's 2020 case against The Washington Post the same lawsuit?
No. The Trump campaign's 2020 case against The Washington Post is a separate lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C., over two opinion columns, and it was dismissed without prejudice on February 3, 2023.