Judge Throws Out Trump's $10 Billion Suit Against the Wall Street Journal Over Its Epstein Story

On April 13, 2026, U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles in Florida dismissed President Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch, Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal over the paper's July 2025 report describing a sexually suggestive letter bearing Trump's signature in a 2003 album compiled for Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday. Gayles found Trump had not adequately alleged that the article was published with actual malice. The dismissal was without prejudice, leaving Trump free to file an amended complaint. Gayles noted that whether Trump authored the letter remained a disputed factual question not suitable for resolution at that stage. The letter was later released publicly after Congress subpoenaed Epstein estate records.

Actual malice is the constitutional standard a public official must meet to recover for defamation, requiring proof the publisher knew the statement was false or acted with reckless disregard for its truth. The ruling is part of a pattern in which large damages claims brought by administration figures against news organizations have failed at the pleading stage.

The suit was dismissed without prejudice on April 13, 2026; Trump was permitted to replead.