A US federal judge in Miami, Darrin Gayles, dismissed former President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and its owner Rupert Murdoch. Judge Gayles ruled that Trump's claim did not meet the 'actual malice' standard required for public figures in defamation cases, which necessitates proof not only of falsity but also of reckless disregard for the truth or knowledge of falsity.

In the written ruling, Judge Gayles noted that Wall Street Journal reporters had contacted Trump for comment prior to publication and printed his denial, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions and undermining Trump's assertion that the newspaper acted with actual malice. The judge wrote, 'This complaint comes nowhere close to this standard. Quite the opposite.'

The lawsuit centered on a birthday greeting that Trump allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, which Trump called 'fake,' seeking $10 billion in damages for reputational harm. The Wall Street Journal, defended by its parent company News Corp's Dow Jones & Company, maintained the accuracy of its July 17, 2025 article describing a sexually suggestive letter bearing Trump's signature, included in a 2003 album compiled for Epstein's 50th birthday. The letter was later released publicly by the US Congress after subpoenaing records from Epstein's estate.

Judge Gayles granted Trump the opportunity to file an amended version of the lawsuit by April 27. This ruling marks another setback in the Trump administration's efforts to manage fallout from the release of Epstein files and the president's attempts to leverage the legal system to curb reporting he deems critical. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press.

Source: www.aljazeera.com