Judge Dismisses Trump's $10 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Against Wall Street Journal

A federal judge in Florida has dismissed President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and its owner, Rupert Murdoch. The lawsuit concerned a 2023 article that detailed a letter, purportedly bearing Trump's signature, included in a 2003 album compiled for Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday.

U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles ruled that Trump failed to demonstrate the article was published with actual malice, a necessary standard for defamation cases involving public figures. The judge, however, allowed Trump the opportunity to file an amended complaint by April 27.

The letter in question was publicly released by Congress after being subpoenaed from Epstein's estate. Trump has denied its authenticity, calling the story "false, malicious, and defamatory."

Attorneys for the Wall Street Journal and Murdoch argued that the article's statements were true and therefore could not be defamatory. Judge Gayles noted that "whether President Trump was the author of the Letter or Epstein's friend are questions of fact that cannot be determined at this stage of the litigation."

This ruling represents another setback in the Trump administration's efforts to manage fallout over the release of Epstein-related documents and the president's attempts to challenge critical reporting through legal means. Neither the White House nor a spokesperson for Dow Jones, which publishes the Journal, immediately responded to requests for comment.