A United States federal judge has dismissed President Donald Trump’s 10-billion-dollar defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, its owner Rupert Murdoch and other defendants over a report linking him to a controversial birthday letter sent to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Judge Darrin Gayles dismissed the case on Saturday, ruling that Trump failed to establish that the newspaper and other defendants acted with actual malice in publishing the report.
The lawsuit followed a July 2025 publication alleging that Trump sent Epstein a birthday letter in 2003, featuring a drawing of a naked woman. Trump had denied the allegation and described the report as false.
The judge dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning Trump cannot amend and refile the same lawsuit.
The ruling came after an earlier version of the suit was rejected in April, with the court giving Trump an opportunity to address the legal shortcomings.
Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding Epstein’s files continues to attract attention, with Trump’s name appearing repeatedly in documents released by authorities. However, the president has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crime connected to the case.
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The latest ruling marks another legal development in the dispute between Trump and the media organisation.
