Sarasota, FL – Devin Nunes, CEO of Trump Media and Technology Group, has dropped his defamation lawsuit against Sarasota Herald-Tribune columnist Chris Anderson and other media outlets. The lawsuit, which was filed in April 2023, accused Anderson and the outlets of publishing defamatory statements in a column. Court records show that Nunes voluntarily dismissed all defendants without prejudice on Dec. 15, just four days before a scheduled case management hearing.
The lawsuit initially targeted The Guardian, Penske Media Corp., owner of Variety magazine, Anderson, and Will Wilkerson, who had allegedly been removed from Trump Media. Nunes sought compensatory and punitive damages, noting that the claims exceeded $100,000. The lawsuit stemmed from a March 15 article published by The Guardian, which included an interview with Wilkerson. Nunes claimed that the article contained false statements and defamatory implications about him, including the headline and information throughout the story.
According to The Guardian, federal prosecutors in New York were investigating Trump Media for possible money laundering and its connection to $8 million with suspected Russian ties. Nunes argued that this information was false, and The Guardian published additional false and defamatory statements in a second article two days later. Variety magazine also republished the statements from The Guardian’s article in stories published on March 15 and March 22.
Anderson’s column in the Herald-Tribune referenced The Guardian’s article and discussed its potential impact on Trump’s reelection campaign. The Trump Media company, which owns the social media platform Truth Social, is based in Sarasota.
No further information was provided regarding Nunes’s decision to drop the lawsuit, and legal counsel for Nunes was not available for comment. The dismissal of the case without prejudice allows Nunes the option to refile the lawsuit in the future if he chooses to do so.
In summary, Devin Nunes, CEO of Trump Media and Technology Group, has withdrawn his defamation lawsuit against Sarasota Herald-Tribune columnist Chris Anderson and several media outlets. The lawsuit, which alleged false statements and defamatory implications, was dismissed without prejudice. Nunes had sought compensatory and punitive damages, claiming that the defendants had published inaccurate information about him. The lawsuit stemmed from an article published by The Guardian, which reported on a federal investigation into Trump Media’s potential money laundering activities. Anderson’s column in the Herald-Tribune had discussed the impact of these allegations on Trump’s reelection campaign.