Judge Dismisses Trump's Lawsuit Against Wall Street Journal Over Epstein Birthday Book
A federal judge has thrown out Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and its parent company, ruling the case lacked merit and violated the First Amendment.
A U.S. judge has dismissed Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, calling the suit "grasping at straws." Judge Darrin Gayles ruled that the lawsuit, filed after the newspaper reported on a letter allegedly written by Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, ran counter to the First Amendment's protection of a free press.
Trump had sued Dow Jones, the Journal's parent company, and Rupert Murdoch last year. The lawsuit stemmed from a 2023 report detailing a letter purportedly written by Trump for Epstein's 50th birthday book in 2003, before Epstein was charged with sex crimes. The letter, which included suggestive language and a drawing of a woman's body, was published by the Journal. Trump has denied writing or signing the letter.
This is the second time Gayles has dismissed the defamation lawsuit. The initial suit sought $20 billion in damages. Trump's team refiled it seeking $10 billion, but the judge has now thrown out the case "with prejudice," meaning it cannot be refiled.
In a 20-page ruling, Gayles noted the newspaper's "thoughtful and detailed investigation" and stated that Trump's legal team failed to prove the defendants made defamatory statements with "actual malice." Actual malice requires proof that the defendant knew the statement was false or acted with reckless disregard for its truth.
Trump's legal team had argued that because he denied writing the letter when contacted by the Journal, the paper should not have published the story. However, Gayles countered that this argument misinterprets the actual malice standard and runs afoul of the First Amendment. He wrote that such a standard would prevent journalists from publishing negative or contradictory information if a public figure or their team denies it, which he stated would undermine the "American privilege to speak one's mind."
The Wall Street Journal's story about Epstein's birthday book and the letter bearing Trump's name emerged as the Trump administration faced criticism for its handling of Epstein-related documents. The letter, according to the Journal's reporting, contained typewritten text framed by a hand-drawn outline of a naked woman and included a joking reference that "enigmas never age."