Judge tosses Trump's $10B defamation suit against WSJ over Epstein letter
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Neutral summary
A federal judge in Miami on Saturday dismissed with prejudice President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, its parent company Dow Jones and media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Judge Darrin Gayles ruled that Trump failed to prove the defendants made defamatory statements with 'actual malice' as required by law, and that the claim 'lacks merit'. The ruling also bars Trump from refiling or amending the lawsuit, ending the case. The suit stemmed from a story published last year about a sexually suggestive birthday letter Trump allegedly sent to financier Jeffrey Epstein in 2003, included in an album made for Epstein's 50th birthday. The letter reportedly contained several lines of typed text framed by an outline of a naked woman. Trump denied writing the letter and called the article false and defamatory. Judge Gayles said the president was 'grasping at straws' and attempting to 'manufacture' flaws in the newspaper's investigative reporting. A spokesman for Trump's legal team said the president will appeal the ruling and 'continue to hold accountable those who deceive the American people with fake news and defamation'. This is the second time this year a court has dismissed the case; Trump first sued the WSJ in July 2025.
How it was framed
Outlets: 55. Countries: 21. Facts in the shared core: 11.
Publication timeline
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Axios (outlet profile)
Judge tosses Trump lawsuit against WSJ, Murdoch over Epstein story. A federal judge on Saturday threw out President Trump's lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over the paper's reporting on Trump'…
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The Independent (outlet profile)
Judge permanently throws out Trump’s Wall Street Journal defamation lawsuit over Epstein letter story. The president failed to show the newspaper acted with ‘actual malice’ by publishing sexually suggestive birthday note
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CNBC (outlet profile)
Trump defamation suit against Murdoch, WSJ over Epstein letter dismissed with prejudice
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CBC News (outlet profile)
Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday letter dismissed with prejudice. A federal judge on Saturday threw out U.S. President Donald Trump's multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the Wall Street Jo…
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ТАСС (outlet profile)
Иск Трампа о клевете к издателю газеты The Wall Street Journal снова отклонили. Президент США обратился в суд по поводу публикации статьи о письме уличенному в растлении несовершеннолетних и впоследствии покончившему с…
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Bloomberg (outlet profile)
WSJ Wins Dismissal of Trump’s $10 Billion Defamation Suit. A federal judge threw out Donald Trump’s renewed $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and ruled that it can’t be filed again, marking…
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South China Morning Post (outlet profile)
Judge throws out Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday letter. A federal judge on Saturday threw out US President Donald Trump’s multibillion-dollar lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and…
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Belfast Telegraph (outlet profile)
Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday letter rejected
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UOL (outlet profile)
Juiz barra de vez ação de Trump contra jornal que divulgou carta a Epstein. O juiz federal Darrin P. Gayles rejeitou definitivamente a ação de difamação movida por Donald Trump contra o Wall Street Journal por uma supos…
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CBS News (outlet profile)
Judge dismisses with prejudice Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal. In a 20-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami dismissed the suit with prejudice, ruling that President Trump did not prove the…
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G1 (outlet profile)
Justiça dos EUA rejeita processo de Trump contra Wall Street Journal sobre carta para Epstein. Presidente dos EUA, Donald Trump, durante comício na Flórida Umit Bektas/Reuters Um juiz federal rejeitou o processo bilioná…
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RFI (outlet profile)
Affaire Epstein: la justice américaine rejette une plainte de Trump contre le «Wall Street Journal». Un juge fédéral américain a rejeté samedi 31 octobre une plainte en diffamation de Donald Trump contre le Wall Street…
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NBC News (outlet profile)
Judge dismisses Trump’s $10 billion defamation suit over Jeffrey Epstein birthday card story. A federal judge in Florida has tossed a revised version of President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation suit against the W…
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www.rbc.ru (outlet profile)
Суд снова отклонил иск Трампа к WSJ и Мердоку по делу о клевете. Президент США подал иск против издания и медиамагната из-за статьи, в которой ему приписывали отправку Эпштейну «непристойной» открытки. Как постановил су…
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Semana (outlet profile)
Donald Trump perdió demanda nacida en una escandalosa carta a Epstein
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Clarín (outlet profile)
Juez de EEUU desestima demanda de Trump contra The Wall Street Journal por una carta sobre Epstein. Un tribunal estadounidense desestimó una demanda de Trump contra un diario por atribuirle una carta a Epstein. El fallo…
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The Independent (outlet profile)
Trump's $10bn lawsuit over Epstein birthday card dismissed by judge
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Valor Econômico (outlet profile)
Juiz rejeita processo de difamação de US$ 10 bi movido por Trump contra WSJ. Um juiz federal rejeitou o processo de difamação de US$ 10 bilhões movido pelo presidente dos EUA, Donald Trump, contra o Wall Street Journal…
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Valor Economico (outlet profile)
Juiz rejeita processo de difamação de US$ 10 bi movido por Trump contra WSJ. Um juiz federal rejeitou o processo de difamação de US$ 10 bilhões movido pelo presidente dos EUA, Donald Trump, contra o Wall Street Journal…
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Sud Ouest (outlet profile)
États-Unis : la plainte en diffamation de Donald Trump contre le Wall Street Journal rejetée par la justice. Un juge fédéral a définitivement rejeté la plainte de Donald Trump contre le quotidien américain qui avait rév…
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Al Jazeera (outlet profile)
Trump loses legal battle over Epstein-linked Wall Street Journal case. Judge permanently drops Trump's $10bn WSJ lawsuit, ruling he failed to prove actual malice in the newspaper's reporting.
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Inquirer.net (outlet profile)
US judge dismisses Trump suit vs. WSJ over Epstein letter. WASHINGTON, United States — A US judge on Saturday dismissed President Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and media magnate…
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Jovem Pan (outlet profile)
Juiz rejeita ação de Trump contra jornal por difamação devido a um cartão postal a Epstein. Trump processou inicialmente o jornal em julho, logo após a publicação de uma notícia sobre um álbum de aniversário que Ghislai…
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La Tercera (outlet profile)
Juez federal desestima segunda demanda de Trump contra The Wall Street Journal por difamación: pedía US$10.000 millones por daños. El magistrado Darrin P. Gayles dictaminó que el mandatario estadounidense no logró argum…
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Variety (outlet profile)
Judge Dismisses Trump’s Wall Street Journal Defamation Lawsuit Over Published Epstein ‘Birthday Book’ for a Second Time. A federal judge has once again dismissed President Donald Trump’s defamation claims against the Wa…
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UOL (outlet profile)
Juiz rejeita ação de Trump contra The Wall Street Journal por carta a Epstein. Um juiz federal dos Estados Unidos rejeitou neste sábado (31) uma ação por difamação movida por Donald Trump contra o The Wall Street Journa…
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The Hollywood Reporter (outlet profile)
Trump Lawsuit Against Wall Street Journal Over Epstein Story Dismissed by Judge. U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami dismissed the suit with prejudice, ruling that the president did not prove the defendants made…
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Профиль (outlet profile)
Иск Трампа к WSJ по делу о клевете вновь отклонен. Федеральный судья в Майами Даррин Гейлс также постановил запретить повторное предъявление иска по тем же основаниям. В апреле он уже отклонил первоначальный иск Трампа,…
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Daily Mail (outlet profile)
Judge tosses Trump's $10bn lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday card just days before midterms. Trump had sued the paper and media mogul Rupert Murdoch over a story reporting on his ties to wealthy…
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Le Monde (outlet profile)
La justice rejette la plainte en diffamation de Donald Trump contre le « Wall Street Journal » au sujet d’une lettre à Jeffrey Epstein. Dans sa décision, le juge Darrin P. Gayles, en charge du dossier, se garde de tranc…
Factual core
- A federal judge dismissed Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal.
- The lawsuit was filed by Trump over a Wall Street Journal article about an Epstein-related letter.
- The judge ruled that Trump had not proved the defendants made defamatory statements with actual malice.
- The article concerned a letter linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
- Trump sought $10 billion in damages in the lawsuit.
- The court's decision was a dismissal of the lawsuit.
- The letter, which included a drawing of a naked woman, allegedly contained the message: 'May every day be another wonderful secret.'
- Judge Gayles said Trump was 'grasping at straws' in arguing the Wall Street Journal did not investigate the story properly.
- The letter contained Trump's name and was included in a 2003 album compiled for Epstein's 50th birthday.
- Trump denied writing the letter and called the article false, malicious, and defamatory.
- Gayles initially dismissed the case in April for lack of evidence but allowed Trump to file an amended complaint.
In the daily issue: The day in brief — November 1, 2026
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