{
  "id": 17466207,
  "title": "Judge throws out Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday letter",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/judge-throws-out-trump-lawsuit-against-wall-street-journal-over",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-31T20:24:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372857/judge-throws-out-trump-lawsuit-against-wall-street-journal-over-epstein-birthday-letter"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Saturday, US District Judge Darrin Gayles dismissed President Donald Trump's multi-million dollar lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch. The decision, which carries a \"prejudice\" status, means the lawsuit cannot be refiled and is final. Judge Gayles ruled that Trump had failed to prove the defendants made defamatory statements with actual malice. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, alleged that the Journal had published \"numerous false, defamatory and disparaging statements\" that caused \"overwhelming financial and reputational harm\" to the president. The dispute centered around a sexually suggestive letter that the Journal claimed bore Trump's name and was included in a 2003 birthday album for Jeffrey Epstein. The letter, reportedly collected by Ghislaine Maxwell, featured a hand-drawn naked woman and concluded with \"Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret\". Trump denied authorship and labeled the story \"false, malicious, and defamatory\".",
  "summary": "A federal judge on Saturday threw out US President Donald Trump’s multibillion-dollar lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch over a story reporting on his ties to wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein. US District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami dismissed the suit with prejudice, ruling that the president did not prove the defendants made defamatory statements with actual…",
  "key_points": [
    "US District Judge Darrin Gayles dismisses Trump's lawsuit.",
    "Judge rules Trump failed to prove defamatory statements with actual malice.",
    "Lawsuit centers around letter in 2003 Epstein birthday album."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 9,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Investing.com",
        "title": "US judge dismisses Trump’s lawsuit against Wall Street Journal with prejudice",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/us-judge-dismisses-trumps-lawsuit-against-wall-street-journal-with",
        "published": "2026-10-31T19:36:21.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Axios",
        "title": "Judge tosses Trump lawsuit against WSJ, Murdoch over Epstein story",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/judge-tosses-trump-lawsuit-against-wsj-murdoch-over-epstein-story",
        "published": "2026-10-31T19:52:08.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times - World News",
        "title": "Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday letter is dismissed with prejudice",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/trump-lawsuit-against-wall-street-journal-over-epstein-birthday-17468235",
        "published": "2026-10-31T20:11:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBC News",
        "title": "Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday letter dismissed with prejudice",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/trump-lawsuit-against-wall-street-journal-over-epstein-birthday",
        "published": "2026-10-31T20:13:16.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Deadline",
        "title": "Judge Again Tosses Out Donald Trump’s $10 Billion Lawsuit Against The Wall Street Journal Over Its Reporting On Jeffrey Epstein Birthday Letter",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/judge-again-tosses-out-donald-trumps-10-billion-lawsuit-against-the",
        "published": "2026-10-31T20:15:54.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Judge dismisses with prejudice Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/judge-dismisses-with-prejudice-trump-lawsuit-against-wall-street",
        "published": "2026-10-31T20:59:41.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "PBS NewsHour",
        "title": "Judge dismisses Trump suit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday letter",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/judge-dismisses-trump-suit-against-wall-street-journal-over-epstein",
        "published": "2026-10-31T21:32:54.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Trump loses legal battle over Epstein-linked Wall Street Journal case",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/trump-loses-legal-battle-over-epstein-linked-wall-street-journal-case",
        "published": "2026-10-31T22:36:41.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}