Judge Dismisses Trump Lawsuit Against Wall Street Journal

A federal judge tossed President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation suit over a report on a birthday letter tied to Jeffrey Epstein.

Updated on Oct. 31, 2026 in Law

Judge Dismisses Trump Lawsuit Against Wall Street Journal

U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles dismissed President Donald Trump's lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. The ruling came Saturday and was the second attempt by Trump to plead actual malice in the case.

Why it matters

The dismissal with prejudice closes the case at the pleading stage and bars Trump from refiling the same claims. It also reinforces the high bar public figures must meet to prove actual malice in defamation suits against news organizations.

The suit sought $10 billion in damages from Dow Jones, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, News Corp CEO Robert Thomson, and reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo. Judge Gayles' ruling came after Trump had already amended his complaint once on the actual malice element.

The players

Donald Trump

The 47th president of the United States, who filed the defamation suit over the birthday letter report and has previously been a frequent litigant against news organizations.

Darrin P. Gayles

A U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida who presided over the case and dismissed it with prejudice.

Wall Street Journal

The Dow Jones-owned newspaper that published the report on the birthday letter and was named as a defendant in the suit.

The details

The Wall Street Journal published its story on July 17, 2025, reporting that a letter bearing Trump's name appeared in a leather-bound album compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell for Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003. Trump denied writing the letter before the story ran and sued the day after publication.

2003: Maxwell compiled the album for Epstein's 50th birthday.
July 17, 2025: The Wall Street Journal published its story.
July 18, 2025: Trump filed suit against the Journal.
October 31, 2026: Judge Gayles dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice.

Legal Context

Public figures suing for defamation must prove actual malice under the standard set in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964), a bar that has defeated most such claims against major outlets. Gayles' dismissal with prejudice places Trump's suit within that pattern of early dismissals.

For readers, the ruling means the defamation claims against the Journal and its reporters will not proceed, so the reporting on the birthday letter remains unchallenged in court. The decision also signals how courts apply the actual malice standard to news coverage of public officials.

The takeaway

Dismissals with prejudice end a lawsuit's ability to be refiled, so the outcome here is final at the trial court level unless an appeal follows. Readers tracking media litigation can watch how courts weigh actual malice allegations against public figures.