S.D. FLA.Court order
Judge dismisses Trump's $10 billion WSJ defamation suit over Epstein letter with prejudice
U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami on October 31 dismissed with prejudice President Donald Trump's amended defamation suit against Dow Jones, The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over the Journal's July 2025 report on a birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein. Gayles held Trump again failed to plausibly allege actual malice. Trump's legal team said he will appeal; Dow Jones said it was pleased.
Order (CNBC) → · The Guardian
Key points
- Gayles found the amended complaint did not plausibly allege each defendant acted with actual malice.CNBCThe Guardian
- Because it was Trump's second attempt, the court found dismissal with prejudice appropriate.The Guardian
- "Grasping at straws, the Amended Complaint attempts to manufacture flaws with the investigation," Gayles wrote in the 20-page ruling.CNBC
- Gayles said letting a subject's denial block publication would run afoul of the First Amendment.CNBC
- He first dismissed the suit in April with leave to amend; Trump sought $10 billion.CNBCThe Guardian