A federal judge in Miami dismissed a multibillion-dollar defamation lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump against the Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch. U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles ruled on Saturday that Trump failed to demonstrate that the defendants acted with actual malice in publishing a 2023 article linking him to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The suit centered on a story that reported the existence of a sexually suggestive letter, which the Wall Street Journal said bore Trump’s name. The letter was part of a 2003 birthday album compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday, reportedly collected by British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, a known Epstein associate who is currently incarcerated. The letter included text framed by an outline resembling a hand-drawn nude woman, ending with the phrase, "Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret."
Trump denied ever writing the letter and described the article as "false, malicious, and defamatory." In his lawsuit filed in federal court in Miami, Trump accused the Wall Street Journal and its reporters of publishing “numerous false, defamatory, and disparaging statements," which he alleged caused him significant financial and reputational damage.
Judge Gayles dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning the lawsuit cannot be refiled. In his ruling, the judge characterized the lawsuit as "grasping at straws," stating that it sought to "manufacture" errors in the Journal's investigative reporting on the matter.
The dismissal effectively ends Trump's legal challenge to the Wall Street Journal’s coverage of the letter and its connection to Epstein, whose criminal activities have sparked widespread investigations and media scrutiny. The judge's ruling affirms the protections granted to news organizations under defamation law, particularly the high standard requiring public figures to prove actual malice in such cases.