Federal judge rules president failed to establish ‘actual malice’ in newspaper’s reporting on alleged letter to Jeffrey Epstein, media reports
A US federal judge permanently dismissed President Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over its reporting on an alleged sexually suggestive birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein bearing Trump’s name, media reports said Saturday.
US District Judge Darrin P. Gayles ruled that Trump failed to plausibly demonstrate that the newspaper acted with “actual malice” when publishing the story, according to CNN.
The judge rejected Trump’s argument that the newspaper should have withheld publication after he denied writing the letter, saying such a requirement would violate the First Amendment.
“Were that the law, any time a public figure or his team denies an accusation, journalists would be immediately blocked from publishing negative or contradictory press,” Gayles wrote.
The judge previously dismissed the lawsuit in April, allowing Trump to file an amended complaint.
However, Gayles found that the revised complaint failed to address the legal deficiencies and dismissed the case with prejudice, preventing it from being refiled in the same court.
“We’re pleased with the court’s decision,” a spokesperson for Dow Jones, the newspaper’s parent company, said.
Trump’s legal team indicated plans to appeal the ruling.
The president originally filed the $20 billion lawsuit in July 2025 against the newspaper, its parent companies, Rupert Murdoch and two reporters. The amended lawsuit sought at least $10 billion in damages.
Trump has denied writing the letter and accused the newspaper of knowingly publishing false information.
