Judge dismisses President Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against Wall Street Journal
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U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles threw out President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation suit against Dow Jones & Company, ruling it violated First Amendment protections.
U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles dismissed President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against Dow Jones & Company, the parent of The Wall Street Journal, stating the case conflicted with First Amendment press freedoms. The suit stemmed from a 2023 Journal report that presented a letter, allegedly written by Trump in 2003, which appeared in a birthday book for Jeffrey Epstein and featured suggestive language and a drawing of a woman's outline. Trump has denied authoring or signing the letter.
Gayles, in a 20-page opinion, said the newspaper’s investigation was "thoughtful and detailed" and that the plaintiff failed to demonstrate that the defendants acted with "actual malice"—the legal standard requiring proof that a false statement was published knowingly or with reckless disregard for the truth. He noted that allowing a public figure’s denial to block publication would undermine the constitutional right to free speech.
The judge dismissed the case "with prejudice," preventing Trump from refiling the claim. This follows an earlier dismissal of a separate $20 billion defamation suit brought by the President against the same media outlet.