Judge Dismisses Trump Defamation Suit Against Murdoch and WSJ Over Epstein Letter, With Prejudice

Judge rejects Trump’s claims

The judge found Trump had not proved that the defendants made statements with actual malice. The ruling described the lawsuit as “grasping at straws,” the judge said, as it sought to “manufacture” flaws in the newspaper’s investigative reporting.

Dispute centered on Epstein letter

The story concerned a letter bearing Trump’s name that was reportedly collected by Ghislaine Maxwell for an Epstein birthday album. Maxwell is described as a disgraced British socialite; the letter was assembled years before Epstein’s first arrest in 2006 and his later falling-out with Trump.

According to the newspaper, the letter includes text framed by an outline resembling a hand-drawn naked woman. It ends, “Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret,” the Journal reported.

Lawsuit alleged serious harm

Trump filed the lawsuit in federal court in Miami, accusing the newspaper and its reporters of knowingly and recklessly publishing false, defamatory and disparaging statements. The suit alleged the reporting caused overwhelming financial and reputational harm to the president.

The judge’s ruling dismissed the case with prejudice. The article does not provide further details about the judge’s reasoning beyond the finding on actual malice and criticism of the lawsuit’s challenge to the reporting.