A federal judge has dismissed US President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch and other defendants over the newspaper’s reporting on an alleged birthday letter connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
US District Judge Darrin P. Gayles, who is based in Miami, dismissed the amended lawsuit with prejudice on Saturday, October 31. He ruled that Trump had failed to provide sufficient grounds to show that the defendants published the disputed reporting with actual malice.
In his decision, Gayles described the allegations in Trump's revised complaint as vague and insufficient, saying they failed to establish that the newspaper knowingly published false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
The ruling marks the second time the judge has dismissed the case. In April, Gayles rejected Trump's original complaint but allowed him to submit an amended version. The latest decision closes the case at the district court level, although Trump can challenge the ruling through an appeal.
His legal team has indicated that it intends to do so.
Dispute centres on alleged Epstein birthday letter
The lawsuit stemmed from a July 2025 Wall Street Journal report about a birthday album prepared for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003.
The newspaper reported that the album included a sexually suggestive letter bearing Trump's name, alongside a drawing of a naked woman. The message reportedly ended with the words "Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret."
The album was reportedly compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's long-time associate, who was later convicted of sex trafficking-related offences.
Trump denied writing the letter and described the Journal's reporting as false, malicious and defamatory. In his lawsuit, he accused the newspaper, its reporters and other defendants of knowingly publishing false claims or disregarding whether the information was accurate.
He sought $10 billion in damages, arguing that the reporting had caused serious harm to his reputation.
The Journal's article also included Trump's denial, a point the judge later highlighted in his decision.
The judge says Trump failed to meet the legal standard.
In dismissing the lawsuit, Gayles relied on the US Supreme Court's landmark 1964 decision in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan. The ruling established the actual-malice standard, which makes it more difficult for public officials and public figures to win defamation cases.
Under that standard, a plaintiff must generally show that the defendant knew a statement was false or published it with reckless disregard for its accuracy.
Gayles found that Trump's amended complaint did not meet that requirement.
"The amended complaint falls short of pleading actual malice," the judge wrote.
He said the allegations were "conclusory, vague, sometimes inconsistent with the Article, and often irrelevant" to whether the defendants knew or should have known that the reported information was false.
The judge also noted that the Journal had not ignored Trump's response. Its reporting clearly informed readers that the president had called the letter fake and denied writing it.
That detail was relevant to the court's assessment of the newspaper's reporting and Trump's claims of actual malice.
Trump is expected to appeal the ruling.
Although the dismissal ends the case at the district court level, Trump has indicated that he will continue challenging the decision.
A spokesperson for his legal team said the president would pursue an appeal. Dow Jones, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, welcomed the court's decision, according to a statement reported by The Washington Post.
The lawsuit is one of several legal disputes involving Trump and major news organisations during his second term. The latest ruling, however, focused specifically on whether his complaint provided enough evidence to support a defamation claim under the actual-malice standard.
Epstein died in a New York federal jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. Maxwell was subsequently convicted for her role in recruiting and trafficking underage girls for Epstein.
The judge's decision addresses the legal sufficiency of Trump's allegations against the newspaper. It does not independently determine who wrote the disputed birthday letter.
