Judge Dismisses Trump’s $10 Billion WSJ Lawsuit Over Epstein Story

Q: Why did Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit fail even if he said the Epstein letter was fake?

Trump’s lawsuit failed because, as a public figure, he had to do more than say the Epstein letter was fake. He had to plausibly show “actual malice” — that The Wall Street Journal either knew its reporting was false or published it while seriously doubting it was true. Judge Darrin P. Gayles said Trump’s denial, by itself, was not enough to meet that constitutional standard. The court found that a subject’s claim that a document is fake does not require a newspaper to ignore other reporting, sources, or evidence it has gathered. Requiring that would let public figures shut down unfavorable reporting simply by denying it, which the judge said would conflict with First Amendment protections. The ruling also turned on what the Journal knew and believed at the time of publication, not on whether Trump objected afterward. In defamation law, especially under the New York Times v. Sullivan standard, falsity alone is not enough for a public figure to win. Careless reporting is usually not enough either. The plaintiff must show the publisher acted with knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for the truth. Gayles said Trump’s amended complaint still did not plausibly allege that level of wrongdoing and described the paper’s investigation as thoughtful and detailed. The judge therefore dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning Trump cannot refile the same claim in that court, though his legal team has indicated it plans to keep pursuing the matter, likely through appeal.

3 articles · Updated · NPR · Nov 1

$10 billion in claims were thrown out Saturday when a federal judge dismissed Donald Trump’s lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch and related defendants over reporting on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Judge Darrin Gayles said Trump was “grasping at straws” and again found the complaint failed to plausibly show actual malice in the Journal’s 2025 report about a purported Epstein letter or gift.
The dismissal was with prejudice, barring Trump from refiling the case in district court, though his legal team has said it plans to appeal.
The ruling marks the second time Gayles has rejected the suit, reinforcing the high bar public figures face in U.S. defamation cases tied to media reporting.