Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation case against The Wall Street Journal has been tossed out by a federal judge. The lawsuit stemmed from the Journal’s reporting on an alleged birthday letter signed by Trump that was included in a 2003 album given to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday.
According to Fox News, U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles in Florida ruled Monday that Trump had failed to meet the legal standard required to move forward with a defamation claim against a media outlet. Gayles dismissed the case without prejudice, giving Trump until April 27 to file an amended complaint.
The original suit named multiple defendants alongside the Journal, including media baron Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. CEO Robert Thomson, and the reporters who wrote the story. Trump sought $20 billion in damages total.
The lawsuit was filed last July, almost immediately after the Journal published its report describing a sexually suggestive letter the newspaper said bore Trump’s signature and name in an album assembled as a gift for Epstein’s birthday. Trump has denied ever writing the letter or making the drawing included in it, calling the story “false, malicious, and defamatory.”
Why the judge threw it out
For a public figure to win a defamation case, they must prove the publisher acted with “actual malice,” meaning they either knew the information was false or showed reckless disregard for the truth. Judge Gayles found that Trump’s complaint came nowhere near clearing that bar.
The ruling pointed out that before publishing, Journal reporters had reached out to Trump’s team, the Justice Department, and the FBI. Trump’s team responded with a denial. The FBI declined to comment. The Justice Department did not respond at all.
Gayles concluded that this outreach showed the Journal “attempted to investigate,” and that Trump’s claim of deliberate malice was directly undermined by his own complaint. The judge also rejected the argument that ill intent toward Trump was enough on its own, and noted the lawsuit was “devoid” of evidence showing Trump had suffered real financial damages from the article.
The letter was later released publicly when Congress subpoenaed Epstein’s estate for records. The Journal’s legal team had argued the story was simply true, and pushed for the judge to rule on that basis. Gayles declined, writing that questions about whether Trump actually authored the letter “cannot be determined at this stage of the litigation.”
Dow Jones, the Journal’s publisher, welcomed the ruling. “We are pleased with the judge’s decision to dismiss this complaint,” a spokesperson told CNN. “We stand behind the reliability, rigor and accuracy of The Wall Street Journal’s reporting.”
Trump plans to refile
Despite the setback, Trump’s legal team made clear the fight is not over. “President Trump will follow Judge Gayles’s ruling and guidance to refile this powerhouse lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and all of the other Defendants,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “The President will continue to hold accountable those who traffic in Fake News to mislead the American People.”
This is part of a broader pattern of Trump using the courts to push back against media coverage he views as unfair. The president and his administration have a notably poor track record in these legal fights. His defamation suits against CNN and The New York Times have both been dismissed, though he has refiled the Times case, which is currently heading toward mediation. His lawsuit against the BBC remains active.
Trump has had more success settling cases than winning them outright. ABC News agreed to pay $15 million in 2024 to settle a defamation claim after anchor George Stephanopoulos repeatedly misstated the nature of a civil verdict against Trump. CBS parent Paramount also settled a lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” Kamala Harris interview for a figure reportedly upwards of $30 million.
Legal analysts cited by CNN noted that they could not recall any past instance of a sitting president suing a news outlet over a published story, making Trump’s media litigation campaign historically unusual. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had previously said Trump “did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.”
The White House did not comment on Monday’s ruling, directing questions to Trump’s legal team. Trump has repeatedly insisted he can act freely on foreign policy matters without limits, and his willingness to challenge public perceptions head-on has become a defining feature of his second term.
