Judge dismisses Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein cartoon
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch throws it out, claiming the US president attempted to "manufacture" flaws in the news outlet's investigative reporting.
US District Judge Darrin Gayles has dismissed former US President Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch over a story alleging a connection between Trump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Judge Gayles ruled that the president did not meet the "actual malice" standard required in defamation cases, meaning he had to prove the defendants knew or should have known their statements were false.
The lawsuit, originally filed in July 2025, alleged that The Wall Street Journal had published defamatory content, including a sexually suggestive cartoon and letter attributed to Trump, which Trump denied authoring. The case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. The lawsuit was one of several filed by Trump in his second term against major media outlets over perceived unfair or false reporting.
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