Oops: Trump's Epic $10B Epstein Story Lawsuit Crumbles Before It Even Begins
A federal judge in Florida dismissed Donald J. Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch on Monday.
The suit stemmed from the newspaper's reporting on Trump's past connections to Jeffrey Epstein, the Associated Press reports.
U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles ruled that Trump had not sufficiently shown the article was published with "actual malice" (the legal standard required in such cases). Still, he allowed the president an opportunity to file an amended complaint.
Trump had filed the lawsuit in July after the Journal published a story highlighting his well-known relationship with Epstein. The article described a sexually suggestive letter—reportedly bearing Trump's signature—that was part of a 2003 birthday album compiled for Epstein's 50th birthday. Trump somehow alleged that an article about a bawdy Epstein birthday letter was defamatory.
That letter was later made public by Congress after it subpoenaed records from Epstein's estate. The decision represents another setback for the Trump administration in its handling of the fallout from the release of Epstein-related files, as well as the president's broader attempts to use litigation to discourage media coverage he views as unfavorable.