Judge Dismisses Trump’s $10B Defamation Lawsuit Against Wall Street Journal Over Epstein Letter

A federal judge dismissed President Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch.

“Judge throws out Trump's $10B lawsuit against WSJ over Epstein reporting Trump had sued the Journal over its reporting on Epstein's 50th birthday book”

ABC News

Judge Gayles wrote that Trump had failed to make the argument that the article was published with the intent to be malicious.

ABC News

The lawsuit followed a Journal article that described a sexually suggestive letter bearing Trump's signature included in a 2003 album compiled for Epstein's 50th birthday.

The letter was subsequently released publicly by Congress, which subpoenaed the records from Epstein's estate.

Trump denied writing it, calling the story false, malicious, and defamatory.

Judge Gayles concluded that Trump came nowhere close to the actual malice standard.

The Journal contacted Trump, Justice Department officials, and the FBI for comment before publication.

AP News

Trump responded with a denial, the Justice Department did not respond, and the FBI declined to comment.

The judge wrote that Trump's conclusory allegation is rebutted by the article.

The case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning Trump can amend and refile.

The Journal's article described a sexually suggestive letter signed by Trump.

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Axios

Trump denied writing it, calling it a fake.

The letter was part of a birthday book compiled by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

The letter was later released by Epstein's estate and the House Oversight Committee.

Trump has not been charged with any wrongdoing connected to Epstein.

Trump's legal team said the president will refile the lawsuit.

A spokesperson for Dow Jones said the company is pleased with the decision.

CNBC

The ruling is the latest in a series of legal setbacks for Trump.

The judge gave Trump two weeks to file a revised complaint.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.