A federal judge in Miami has permanently dismissed former President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal. The suit, which centered on a 2025 article detailing a purported birthday letter from Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, was thrown out with prejudice because Trump again failed to plausibly allege the defendants acted with ‘actual malice.’ Trump’s legal team plans to appeal the decision, while Dow Jones & Co. expressed satisfaction with the court’s ruling.
A federal judge in Miami has delivered a significant blow to former President Donald Trump's legal efforts, permanently dismissing his amended $10 billion defamation lawsuit against media titan Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal. The suit stemmed from a July 2025 article by the newspaper that detailed a purported 50th birthday letter from Trump to notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
District Court Judge Darrin Gayles ruled on Saturday that Trump had once again failed to plausibly allege that the newspaper and other defendants acted with 'actual malice' when publishing the story. This marks the second dismissal of the lawsuit, with Judge Gayles previously allowing Trump to file an amended complaint to address legal shortcomings.
"As with his first attempt, he has failed," Gayles wrote in the 20-page ruling, emphasizing the Wall Street Journal's "thoughtful and detailed investigation." The judge explicitly rejected Trump's argument that the paper should have refrained from publishing the story after his denial, stating such a standard would run "afoul of the First Amendment" by allowing public figures to stifle unfavorable reporting.
The dismissal 'with prejudice' means Trump is barred from refiling the same claims against Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal in U.S. District Court. Despite this, a spokesman for Trump's legal team confirmed plans to appeal the ruling, vowing that the former president "will continue to press forward in his powerhouse lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and all of the other defendants" and hold "those who mislead the American People with Fake News and smears accountable for their actions."
The Wall Street Journal, owned by Murdoch's News Corp, expressed satisfaction with the outcome. A spokesperson for the newspaper's publisher, Dow Jones & Co., stated, "We're pleased with the court's decision."
The original Wall Street Journal article from July 17, 2025, described a letter bearing Trump's signature, included in an album of letters Epstein was reportedly given for his 50th birthday. The article claimed the letter was sent at the request of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's associate later convicted of procuring underage girls for abuse. It controversially detailed the letter's appearance, noting it contained "several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker." The description continued, "A pair of small arcs denotes the woman's breasts, and the future president's signature is a squiggly 'Donald' below her waist, mimicking pubic hair." Trump vehemently denied writing the letter, calling it "a fake thing" and stating, "I never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of women."
This ruling is the latest in a series of legal setbacks for Trump in his litigation against media organizations. Another federal judge in Miami recently ordered him to sit for a deposition by December 11 in a separate $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC.
