Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday letter is dismissed with prejudice
The judge said Trump failed to show actual malice, ending his $10 billion case and barring him from refiling the claims.
- On Saturday, District Judge Darrin Gayles dismissed President Donald Trump's lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal with prejudice, permanently barring the president from refiling claims over reporting on an alleged birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein.
- Trump filed the $10 billion defamation suit last year challenging The Wall Street Journal's 2025 report about a sexually suggestive letter in a 2003 album compiled for Epstein's 50th birthday, which Trump consistently denied writing.
- Gayles determined Trump failed to prove 'actual malice,' the legal standard for defamation, finding the president's allegations were 'conclusory, vague' and often irrelevant to whether Defendants knew the statements were purportedly false.
- The Supreme Court's landmark ruling in The New York Times v Sullivan establishes that Trump's arguments ran afoul of the First Amendment, with Gayles adding the president has been 'grasping at straws' to prove his case.
- Dismissal with prejudice prevents President Trump from pursuing further legal action against The Wall Street Journal, News Corp, or media mogul Rupert Murdoch regarding the Epstein story.
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berlingske.dkTrump says article about Epstein's birthday greeting is slander. He's demanding $10 billion.
Judge dismisses Trump’s $10 billion defamation suit over Jeffrey Epstein birthday card story
A federal judge in Florida has tossed a revised version of President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation suit against the Wall Street Journal over a story about a birthday card he allegedly sent Jeffrey Epstein more than two decades ago.
Miami District Judge Darryn Gayles on Saturday finally dismissed US President Donald Trump's lawsuit seeking $10 billion in damages from The Wall Street Journal for alleged defamation over an article about Trump's ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday letter dismissed with prejudice
In a 20-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami dismissed the suit with prejudice, ruling that President Trump did not prove the defendants made defamatory statements with actual malice.
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