Judge dismisses Trump's US$10b lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein letter
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.
A US judge dismissed President Donald Trump's defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and owner Rupert Murdoch on Saturday. The lawsuit, for US$10 billion, was filed after the newspaper published a story in July 2025 alleging that Trump sent a bawdy birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein, a notorious sex offender. The judge, Darrin Gayles, dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning Trump cannot file an amended version.
The judge found that Trump had failed to establish that the defendants acted with actual malice in their reporting. The lawsuit came amid scrutiny of Trump from Democrats and his own Republican party, who called for the release of legal files on Epstein. Trump's supporters have long alleged that "deep state" elites were protecting an Epstein-associated sex ring, particularly in the Democratic Party and Hollywood.
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