A federal judge has dismissed Trump Media & Technology Group's $3.8 billion defamation lawsuit against The Washington Post, ruling the company failed to provide enough evidence to allow the case to move forward.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber ruled that Trump Media did not present evidence that would allow a jury to find by clear and convincing evidence that The Washington Post published the disputed statements with "actual malice," according to a summary docket entry.

Barber granted The Washington Post's motion for summary judgment and denied Trump Media's request for the case to proceed.

The judge said a full written opinion explaining the decision will be released later.

The lawsuit, filed in 2023, accused The Washington Post of defaming Trump Media in a May 2023 article examining the company's efforts to obtain financing before completing its planned merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company.

The merger later received approval from federal securities regulators, and Trump Media began trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol DJT in March 2024.

Trump Media argued in its complaint that The Washington Post had carried out a "years-long crusade" against the company that ended with what it called an "egregious hit piece."

Under the Supreme Court's landmark 1964 decision in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, public figures generally must prove that a defendant knowingly published false information or acted with reckless disregard for whether the information was true in order to win a defamation case.

The Washington Post said it was pleased with the court's decision and looked forward to reviewing the judge's full written opinion.

During the discovery process, The Washington Post published a correction to the 2023 article in May 2026 acknowledging that Trump Media did not pay a $240,000 loan referral fee as originally reported.

The correction said evidence obtained during the litigation established that the payment did not occur, revising a claim that The Washington Post said was based on its reporting at the time of publication.

A Trump Media spokesman said the correction showed the newspaper had acknowledged that part of the article was inaccurate and said the company is considering an appeal.

"After three years, The Washington Post finally admitted its harmful story was false," the spokesman said.

The spokesman added that Trump Media believes a jury should decide whether the statements at issue were legally actionable and said the company will evaluate its next steps.