Overview
- U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber issued the ruling on Thursday, granting The Washington Post’s motion for summary judgment and canceling the scheduled pretrial conference.
- Barber concluded Trump Media and Technology Group did not present clear and convincing evidence that the Post published the contested May 2023 article with actual malice, the high legal standard for public‑figure defamation claims.
- The Post had issued a correction in May after discovery showed two assertions in the original story were incorrect, but the judge found those errors did not prove the reporter or paper acted knowingly false or with reckless disregard.
- A Trump Media spokesperson said the company believes a jury should decide the matter and will evaluate whether to appeal, leaving the case’s next step undecided.
- The ruling follows a string of recent dismissals of defamation suits brought by Trump‑aligned plaintiffs against news outlets and could shape how courts handle discovery, corrections, and press‑freedom disputes going forward.