Federal judge permanently bars Trump's $10 billion case against Wall Street Journal
A Miami court ruled the president failed to prove the media company published the Epstein letter story with actual malice.
By Allison Rojas ·
President Donald Trump can no longer pursue his $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch. U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami dismissed the case with prejudice on Saturday. This procedural step makes the dismissal permanent and prevents the president from filing the same suit again in federal court. The decision resolves a legal battle that has consumed resources for both the White House and the media group.
The legal dispute centered on a story The Wall Street Journal published in 2025. The article described a sexually suggestive letter and a drawing that the paper said bore Trump's name. The items were part of a 2003 album compiled for Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday. The letter, collected by Ghislaine Maxwell, contained text framed by an outline of a naked woman. It ended with the phrase: "Happy Birthday, and may every day be another wonderful secret." Trump denied writing the letter and called the reporting false and malicious.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, accused the paper and its reporters of knowingly and recklessly publishing false statements. The complaint alleged these errors caused overwhelming financial and reputational harm to the president. The Journal and its parent company, News Corp, are controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Trump has maintained an adversarial relationship with several news organizations during his second term, including the BBC and The Associated Press.
Gayles first dismissed the suit in April 2026. At that time, he found that Trump failed to adequately argue that the article was published with malicious intent. The judge allowed the president to file an amended complaint, which Trump's team did in May. The second attempt did not succeed. Gayles ruled that the amended complaint failed to meet the high legal standard required for public figures to win libel cases.
The judge cited the Supreme Court's 1964 decision in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan. That landmark ruling requires plaintiffs to prove actual malice. This means they must show the media outlet knowingly published a falsehood or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. Gayles wrote that the new allegations regarding malice were conclusory and vague. He noted that some claims were inconsistent with the actual text of the article.
The ruling highlighted that The Wall Street Journal did not ignore Trump's denial of the letter. The judge observed that the story informed readers that the president decried the letter as a fake. This finding undercut the argument that the paper intended to deceive the public. Gayles stated that the lawsuit attempted to manufacture flaws in the investigative reporting rather than proving specific errors.
The dismissal is the latest legal development in a series of conflicts between the administration and news media. In mid-September 2026, Trump banished several outlets, including CNN and MSNBC, from the White House. Those organizations have since sued for restored access. The White House did not immediately react publicly to Saturday's dismissal. The office also did not respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail cell in August 2019. He was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges at the time. The events surrounding his death and the subsequent release of documents have fueled ongoing scrutiny of his associates. The legal battle over the birthday letter is now closed, leaving the president without a path to refile the claim in federal court.
