Judge dismisses Trump's $10 billion defamation suit with prejudice
A federal judge in Miami has permanently dismissed former President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch, ruling he failed to prove actual malice. The case, filed last summer over a story about a purported 2003 birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein, is barred from being refiled. Trump’s legal team says they will appeal. The decision ends the second attempt by Trump to sue over the report, which he called false and malicious.
Key facts
- Judge Darrin P. Gayles authored the ruling, citing lack of specific evidence of actual malice.
- The lawsuit sought US$10 billion in damages for alleged financial and reputational harm.
- The alleged letter was reportedly collected by Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein's birthday album before his 2006 arrest.
- Rupert Murdoch is the founder of News Corp, the parent company of The Wall Street Journal.
- The House Oversight Committee released a copy of the alleged birthday note last year.
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Why it matters
The ruling ends a high‑profile attempt to hold a major news outlet accountable for reporting on Trump’s alleged Epstein connections.
What changed
First published from The Independent, Hindustan Times, South China Morning Post, The Guardian and CNBC