Judge Tosses Trump's $10 Billion Lawsuit Against Wall Street Journal
Federal judge rules former president failed to prove defamation with actual malice, calling his case 'grasping at straws'.
A federal judge has dismissed Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, ruling that the former president did not prove the newspaper made defamatory statements with actual malice. US District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami threw out the case "with prejudice," meaning it cannot be refiled.
In his ruling, Judge Gayles stated that the lawsuit attempted to "manufacture" flaws in the Journal's reporting and that Trump was "grasping at straws." A spokesperson for Dow Jones, which owns the Wall Street Journal, expressed pleasure with the court's decision.
The lawsuit stemmed from a 2023 story published by the Journal alleging a sexually suggestive letter and drawing that the paper said bore Trump's name and was included in a 2003 album compiled for Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday. The letter reportedly contained the message, "Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret." Trump denied writing or sending the letter, calling the story "false, malicious, and defamatory."
During a previous dismissal in April, the judge had noted that Trump failed to adequately argue the article was published with malicious intent. He allowed Trump to file an amended complaint in May, which was also dismissed.
Judge Gayles cited the Supreme Court's 1964 ruling in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, which established the "actual malice" standard for public figures suing for libel. This standard requires proof that a media outlet knowingly published false information or showed reckless disregard for the truth.
The judge found that Trump's amended complaint fell short of pleading actual malice, describing the allegations as "conclusory, vague, sometimes inconsistent with the Article, and often irrelevant to whether Defendants knew or should have known that the statements in the Article were purportedly false."
Gayles also pointed out that the Journal's article did not ignore Trump's denial, but rather "informed readers that President Trump decried the Letter as a fake and denied writing it." The judge further stated that several other allegations in the lawsuit lacked merit.
The dismissal represents a setback for Trump, who has maintained an adversarial relationship with numerous news organizations throughout his presidency and beyond. He has frequently criticized outlets he deems to be publishing "fake news."
In addition to The Wall Street Journal, Trump has been involved in other legal disputes with media organizations, including the BBC, The Associated Press, CNN, MS NOW, and Politico.