Judge rules in favor of BuzzFeed in Trump dossier lawsuit

Published:
President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion on the Federal Commission on School Safety report, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. Photo via AP.
President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion on the Federal Commission on School Safety report, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. Photo via AP.

A federal judge has ruled in favor of BuzzFeed, which had been sued by a businessman for defamation over its publication of an unproven dossier on President Donald Trump’s purported activities involving Russia and allegations of Russian interference during the 2016 U.S. election.

Judge Ursula Ungaro ruled Wednesday in Miami federal court that BuzzFeed cannot be found liable for publishing a document that had become the subject of official government conduct.

Businessman Aleksej Gubarev said he and his companies were falsely linked in the dossier to Russia-backed computer hacking of Democratic Party figures. Gubarev, who is based in Cyprus, sought unspecified damages from BuzzFeed and its top editor, Ben Smith, for the lawsuit’s libel and slander claims.

The judge said BuzzFeed’s article was “fair and true.”

Gubarev has filed a notice of appeal.

Copyright ©2025 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.