Case: Trump Media v. Guardian News

This case is one of several lawsuits filed by President Donald Trump against American media networks for allegedly false or defamatory statements made over the course of Trump's 2020 re-election campaign.

In this defamation case, Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. (TMTG) sued Guardian News and Media Ltd, Penske Media Corporation, Chris Anderson, and Will Wilkerson after The Guardian published articles in March 2023 reporting that federal prosecutors were investigating money laundering related to $8 million in payments TMTG received from Russian oligarch and Putin-linked official Anton Postolnikov. The other defendants subsequently republished or reported on The Guardian's articles with explicit references and links to the original reporting. TMTG brought claims for defamation, defamation per se, defamation by implication, injurious falsehood, and civil conspiracy against the various defendants.

The case was assigned to Circuit Judge Hunter Carroll from the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court in Sarasota County, Florida.

All defendants moved to dismiss the suit under Florida's Anti-SLAPP statute (section 768.295). In considering these motions, Judge Carroll ruled on November 24, 2025, that because TMTG is a public figure, it must prove the defendants acted with actual malice – knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for the truth. The court found that TMTG's allegations of bias, reliance on a sole source, and failure to investigate were insufficient to demonstrate actual malice. This finding of deficiency affected multiple counts against different defendants.

The court applied the single action rule to bar additional tort claims based on the same publication as the defamation claims. Regarding Penske's republication of Guardian articles, the court found protection under the wire service privilege which shields news organizations from liability when they republish articles from established news sources. For defendant Anderson, the court determined that his article was a protected opinion piece with cautionary language and not actionable defamation. The court completely dismissed Anderson from the case with prejudice and awarded him attorney fees under Florida's Anti-SLAPP statute. For the remaining defendants, some claims were dismissed with prejudice while others were dismissed with leave to amend.

TMTG was granted until January 2, 2026, to file a second amended complaint as to the remaining counts, or the remaining defendants could move for dismissal with prejudice. As of February 17, 2026, there are no indications that TMTG filed this second amended complaint.