Judge Darrin Gayles dismissed the $10 billion defamation action with prejudice after finding that Trump failed to prove actual malice, blocking him from refiling the complaint. The litigation stemmed from a July 2025 Wall Street Journal report detailing an alleged 2003 birthday letter sent to Epstein containing dialogue and a naked woman's drawing. Although Trump initially attempted to halt the Justice Department from making related legal files public, he eventually signed legislation forcing their disclosure. While his name is featured repeatedly throughout the documents, Trump has not been charged with any crime.
Key points
The court ruling permanently bars Trump from amending or refiling his massive defamation…: The court ruling permanently bars Trump from amending or refiling his massive defamation complaint against the defendants.
Lawmakers from both political parties dismissed Trump's claims of a hoax and successfully…: Lawmakers from both political parties dismissed Trump's claims of a hoax and successfully pushed for the publication of federal Epstein records.
Trump faces continuing political pressure regarding the Epstein files even though he has…: Trump faces continuing political pressure regarding the Epstein files even though he has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
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Washington: A US judge on Saturday dismissed President Donald Trump's defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and media magnate Rupert Murdoch over a report that Trump sent a bawdy birthday letter to notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump had sued for $10 billion after the newspaper's story was published in July 2025 detailing the president's alleged 2003 letter to Epstein, which apparently featured a drawing of a naked woman.
Murdoch is the founder of News Corp. which owns the Wall Street Journal.
The report piled scrutiny on Trump from both Democrats and his own Republican party, who rejected the president's attempts to downplay the saga as a hoax and called for a full release of legal files on Epstein.
In Saturday's ruling, Judge Darrin Gayles dismissed Trump's lawsuit with prejudice, meaning Trump cannot file an amended version of the suit, as he did when Gayles turned down an initial version of it back in April.
The judge wrote that in bringing his defamation claim, Trump had both times failed to establish that the defendants "acted with actual malice."
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