Donald Trump's lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein links dismissed as judge throws out case

Susanna Siddell
Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:18:16 +0000

Donald Trump's $10billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) over his reported links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein has been dismissed.

Florida's District Judge Darrin P Gayles threw out the case against the paper's owner Rupert Murdoch on Monday.

The judge ruled that the 47th President had failed to meet the "actual malice" standard required to prove he was the subject of defamation.

However, he offered up the opportunity for the US President to hand over a revised complaint against the leading American publication.

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Mr Trump first announced he would sue the WSJ back in July 2025 in a move he branded as "historic legal action".

He said his decision to launch a lawsuit was both for himself and US citizens who would "no longer tolerate the abusive wrongdoings of the Fake News Media".

The President added: "I hope Rupert and his 'friends' are looking forward to the many hours of depositions and testimonies they will have to provide in this case."

His concern centred on a letter he was alleged to have sent to the convicted child sex offender - and was published by the WSJ that month.

The document was alleged to have included the message: "May every day be another wonderful secret."

The WSJ said the businessman-turned-President had sent the letter to join a collection gathered by Epstein's ex-girlfiend Ghislaine Maxwell as part of the paedophile's birthday present back in 2003.

The letter was said to have been signed off by "Donald".

But the Republican insisted the document was "fake" and vowed to "sue the a** off" the WSJ chief.

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Mr Trump denied penning the letter - which included a drawing of a naked woman - after the WSJ raised the issue publicly.

He previously said: "The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein,.

"These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures. I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn't print this Fake Story.

"But he did, and now I'm going to sue his a** off, and that of his third rate newspaper."

US Congress released the letter in question following his denial in the Epstein files.

However, despite lawyers for the WSJ and its boss arguing its later release proved their statements in the published article were true, the judge ruled that the files' publication of the letter failed to prove that Mr Trump penned the note.

He said that "whether President Trump was the author of the Letter or Epstein's friend are questions of fact that cannot be determined at this stage of the litigation".

In re-filing the defamation case, the President's team must prove that the statement was false as well as prove the media outlet knew it was false at the time of publication.