Judge dismisses Trump’s lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday book

A US judge has dismissed President Donald Trump's $10bn lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, branding it "grasping at straws," according to prosecutors. Trump had sued the media outlet’s parent company Dow Jones and its leader, Rupert Murdoch, last year after the newspaper reported on a letter allegedly written by Trump to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003, before the financier was charged with sex crimes.

Trump denied writing or signing the letter, which contained suggestive language and a drawing of a woman's body. Judge Darrin Gayles ruled that the lawsuit violated the First Amendment, which protects freedom of the press. The suit, which sought $20 billion in damages, was dismissed previously but refiled by Trump's legal team seeking $10 billion.

This time, the judge threw the case out "with prejudice," meaning it cannot be filed again. The newspaper's story about Epstein's 50th birthday book, featuring the letter with Trump's name, emerged as the Trump administration faced criticism over the handling of Epstein documents. The judge found Trump's legal team failed to prove the newspaper made defamatory statements with "actual malice," a requirement under the law.