Trump loses legal battle over Epstein-linked Wall Street Journal case
Summary
A federal judge permanently dismissed President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal. Judge Darrin Gayles ruled that Trump’s amended complaint did not adequately show the newspaper acted with “actual malice,” meaning it knew a statement was false or recklessly disregarded its accuracy.Key Facts
- The lawsuit followed a July 2025 Wall Street Journal article about a sexually suggestive birthday note attributed to Trump and given to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.
- Trump denied responsibility for the note’s text, signature and artwork.
- Trump filed the lawsuit in federal court in Miami on July 18, 2025, naming the newspaper, Murdoch and two journalists associated with the article as defendants.
- Gayles had dismissed the lawsuit in April but allowed Trump to file an amended complaint.
- The judge said the amended complaint’s allegations about malice were vague, conclusory and at times inconsistent with the article.
- The article appeared amid scrutiny of the Trump administration’s handling of records related to Epstein.
- Epstein died in a New York City jail in 2019 before facing trial on federal sex-trafficking charges; his death was ruled a suicide.
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