Trump lawsuits reach key stages after pair of recent setbacks

Lawyers for President Donald Trump and his sprawling business interests are heading to court this week in Florida for high-stakes hearings that follow a pair of major setbacks in their wave of multibillion-dollar lawsuits.

Three hearings over three days — in Miami and Tampa — starting Monday will cover an array of arguments in suits against Capital One Financial Corp., the British Broadcasting Corp. and the New York Times, all accused of illegally wronging Trump for political reasons. They all deny the allegations.

They follow some big setbacks in other cases in recent months, including the July 2 dismissal of a $3.8 billion suit against the Washington Post by Trump’s social media company, and a scathing ruling that a $10 billion suit Trump filed against the Internal Revenue Service was an abuse of the courts.

Despite the losses, Trump has had some notable wins since he won the 2024 presidential election. Trump in February blocked the BBC’s attempt to stall the exchange of evidence in his suit. And in the months after he took office, he reached multimillion-dollar settlements of suits against a host of major broadcasters and social media companies.

President Trump “is committed” to holding accountable those he accuses of defaming him or his political movement, according to a statement from his legal team.

Earlier in the year, however, Trump’s suit against the Wall Street Journal was dismissed by a judge for lacking evidence, as was the Capital One suit, filed by the Trump Organization. Judges allowed both suits to be revised and refiled.

The initial rulings in the suits against the Journal and the Capital One revealed a common theme: judges finding a lack of evidence supporting Trump’s claims. Trump’s suits against CNN and political foe Hillary Clinton were tossed out for similar reasons.

Trump’s aggressive legal strategy has already had an impact on the lawyer spearheading the legal barrage, Trump’s personal attorney Alejandro Brito. The judge in the IRS case referred Brito to the Florida Bar for potential disciplinary proceedings, risking the reputation of a commercial lawyer tapped by Trump in 2023. Brito didn’t return a message seeking comment.

Trump could appeal any losses all the way to the Supreme Court, which can drag a case out for years.

The hearings this week include a fight over the subpoenas issued by the BBC as part of its defense, and oral arguments on the Times’ request to dismiss Trump’s suit.

Here’s the latest on the suits filed during Trump’s second term:

Trump Org. v. Capital One

Amount Sought: TBD

Status: Refiled After Dismissal

Originally Filed: March 2025

Judge: Roy Altman, a Trump-appointee

The Trump Organization accused the lender of illegally “de-banking” the president’s company for political reasons by abruptly closing hundreds of its accounts after Trump’s first term ended in 2021.

The suit was dismissed due to insufficient evidence, but the judge allowed it to be refiled after a period of court-ordered evidence exchange. A heavily redacted, amended complaint was filed Friday. Fresh arguments over the exchange of evidence are set for July 20 in Miami.

Trump v. Wall Street Journal

Amount Sought: $10 Billion

Status: Refiled After Dismissal

Originally Filed: July 2025

Judge: Darrin Gayles, Barack Obama appointee

Trump alleges the Journal, parent company News Corp. and Chairman Emeritus Rupert Murdoch defamed him in a story about a birthday note Trump allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein decades ago.

The suit was dismissed in April due to a lack of evidence of “actual malice,” or proof the Journal knew the story was false or had a reckless disregard for the truth (a high bar for public figures who sue for defamation). The judge allowed Trump to file a new suit, which the Journal has moved to dismiss. A hearing is set for Aug. 5 in Miami.

Trump v. New York Times

Amount Sought: $15 Billion

Status: Motion to Dismiss Pending

Originally Filed: September 2025

Judge: Steven Merryday, George H.W. Bush appointee

Trump sued in September 2025, alleging the Times and book publisher Penguin Random House LLC defamed him with false claims about his career and conduct in two news articles and a book by its reporters.

The Times moved to dismiss the suit in December, arguing the complaint lacks evidence of actual malice and is based on “implausible allegations” that cannot overcome First Amendment protections.

Trump v. BBC

Amount Sought: $10 Billion

Status: Motion to Dismiss Pending

Originally Filed: December 2025

Judge: Roy Altman, a Trump-appointee

Trump alleges the BBC defamed him with a misleading edit of his speech on Jan. 6, 2021, that gave the false impression he’d made a direct call for violence before his supporters attacked the Capitol. The BBC apologized but argues it did not defame Trump.

The BBC moved to dismiss in March. It also issued dozens of subpoenas to Trump’s inner circle and federal agencies, seeking communications it claims will shed light on Trump’s state of mind before the speech. To win the case, the BBC says, Trump “must prove that he did not foment or incite the January 6 Capitol riot.” A hearing on the subpoenas is set for July 21.

Trump v. IRS

Amount Sought: $10 Billion

Status: Settlement in Dispute

Originally Filed: January 2026

Judge: Kathleen Williams, Obama-appointee

Trump sued in January over the unauthorized leak of his tax information to the press in 2019. He voluntarily dropped the suit after the Justice Department agreed to create a now-scrapped $1.8 billion fund for alleged victims of government “weaponization,” and to give him and business interests immunity from past audits.

On July 13, a judge ruled the case was a “bad faith” attempt by Trump to manipulate the judicial process and barred him and his administration from citing its supposed deal in future regulatory or judicial proceedings. It’s unclear if Trump is planning to appeal the ruling.

Trump v. JPMorgan

Amount Sought: $5 Billion

Status: Awaiting Ruling on Jurisdiction

Filed: January 2026

Judge: Kathleen Williams, Obama-appointee

Trump alleges JPMorgan and Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon illegally stopped offering him and his businesses banking services for political reasons after the end of Trump’s first term.

JPMorgan, which moved the case to federal court from state court in Florida, is fighting to move the case to federal court in New York, arguing its customer agreements require legal disputes to be handled in that state. Trump argues the case can stay in Florida and should be moved back to state court. A judge hasn’t yet ruled.