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A federal judge on Monday dismissed President Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the publisher of The Wall Street Journal.
U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles, based in Miami, ruled Trump hadn’t made a valid legal claim that he was defamed by an article about a letter to financier Jeffrey Epstein bearing Trump’s name.
The judge said that to show defamation, Trump had to demonstrate that the Journal and its reporters acted with “actual malice,” meaning they deliberately published a false story or showed reckless disregard for the truth. Trump failed to show that the reporters acted with ill will and deliberately avoided investigating his claim that the letter was fake, the judge said.
The judge said Trump could file a new amended lawsuit if he wishes, and gave him until April 27 to do so. A spokesman for Trump’s legal team said the president would “refile this powerhouse lawsuit” against the Journal and other defendants.
The Wall Street Journal reported in July that a book given to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003 included a letter with typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman. “Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret,” the letter said. It was signed, “Donald.”
The article included comments from Trump, who denied writing the letter and threatened legal action.
A day later, Trump sued Dow Jones and its parent company, News Corp, in federal court, seeking billions of dollars. The lawsuit also named as defendants News Corp Chair Emeritus Rupert Murdoch, its chief executive, Robert Thomson, and two Journal reporters.
Trump argued that no authentic letter or drawing existed, and that the Journal had sought to malign his character.
Lawyers for Dow Jones said the article was true, and they cited a subsequent release of the letter by the House Oversight Committee, which received a copy of the birthday book from Epstein’s estate.