#EpsteinFileUpdate A federal judge has dismissed President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch and the newspaper’s reporters over its reporting on an alleged birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein.
U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles ruled that Trump’s complaint failed to establish that the newspaper published its reporting with “actual malice,” the legal standard required in defamation cases involving public figures.
The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning Trump cannot refile the same claims in the trial court, although an appeal remains possible.
Trump has repeatedly denied writing the alleged 2003 birthday letter. The judge’s ruling did not determine whether the letter was authentic.
The newspaper has defended the accuracy of its reporting.
The ruling was issued Saturday, October 31, 2026.
843911.3K