USA13 April, 20261 min read
Judge Dismisses Trump’s $10 Billion Defamation Suit Against Wall Street Journal
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Judge Gayles dismissed Trump's $10B defamation suit against WSJ over Epstein letter. The court gave Trump two weeks to file an amended complaint.
Judge Dismisses Trump WSJ Suit
A federal judge dismissed Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch. Judge Gayles ruled Trump came nowhere close to showing the WSJ acted with actual malice.
The ruling was unanimous across multiple outlets, including Axios, BBC, CNBC, and NPR. Trump announced plans to refile by April 27.
The Epstein Birthday Letter
The lawsuit centered on a 2003 birthday letter Trump allegedly sent to Epstein. The letter featured a hand-drawn outline of a naked woman with Trump's signature mimicking pubic hair. Trump denied writing the letter, calling it a fake thing.
The letter was later released publicly by Congress after being obtained from Epstein's estate. Trump had called Murdoch personally to try to prevent publication.
Reactions and Next Steps
Trump's legal team said they would refile the lawsuit. Dow Jones issued a statement saying they were pleased with the decision. The judge gave Trump until April 27 to file an amended complaint.
The ruling marks another blow to Trump's efforts to challenge critical media coverage. Trump had a long-standing friendship with Epstein that ruptured in the mid-2000s.
