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Judge Dismisses Truth Social Parent’s Defamation Suit Over $8M Probe Coverage

The court dismissed a defamation suit by Truth Social’s parent company against The Guardian and others over March 2023 reporting about $8 million in payments and a related federal probe. Judge Hunter Carroll found TMTG, which conceded it is a public figure, failed to show the "actual malice" required under Florida law and invoked the state's anti‑SLAPP protections. The judge said the reporting relied on multiple sources, internal communications and investigative efforts, and noted routine denials from CEO Devin Nunes did not meet the legal standard for malice.

01:56 PM, 11/25/2025Politics
Judge Dismisses Truth Social Parent’s Defamation Suit Over $8M Probe Coverage

A Florida judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by Truth Media & Technology Group Corp. (TMTG), the parent company of Truth Social, against The Guardian, the Sarasota Herald‑Tribune and two reporters. The suit challenged March 2023 reporting about two $8 million payments and a federal money‑laundering inquiry linked to those transfers.

In written orders, Judge Hunter Carroll of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court for Sarasota County summarized the articles at issue. The reporting cited multiple sources familiar with the investigation, described internal TMTG communications and noted that the payments were reportedly wired through the Caribbean from entities identified in reporting as Paxum Bank and ES Family Trust. Those entities were reported to have ties to an ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin and histories of providing banking services to the sex‑work industry.

TMTG alleged the coverage was false and defamatory, insisting the company and its executives "were not, and never were, under investigation for money laundering" and had not been the focus of any inquiry. The company also pointed to denials from CEO Devin Nunes, the former California congressman.

Judge’s Ruling and Legal Standard

Judge Carroll noted that TMTG conceded it is a public figure, meaning any defamation claim must satisfy the heightened "actual malice" standard. Applying Florida's anti‑SLAPP statute, the court found TMTG failed to prove actual malice and granted the defendants' motions to dismiss. The anti‑SLAPP law provides expedited procedures and potential fee awards to defendants when a suit targets protected public‑issue speech and lacks merit.

"Merely reporting negative information is not enough to establish actual malice," the opinion states. Proving actual malice, the judge explained, "requires more than a departure from journalistic standards or a mere failure to investigate."

The court said the challenged articles were based on multiple sources familiar with the inquiry, a review of internal communications, investigative work into the loaning entities, and attempts to obtain further information from federal authorities and TMTG's outside counsel. The judge added that routine denials by a subject—such as Nunes's denial of knowledge—do not, by themselves, establish the level of intent or recklessness required to prove actual malice.

On that basis, the court dismissed the defamation claims against the news organizations and the reporters. The decision underscores the high bar public‑figure plaintiffs must meet under U.S. defamation law when challenging news coverage of alleged government investigations.

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