Judge Dismisses Trump’s Defamation Lawsuit Against WSJ Publisher
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
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 complaint comes nowhere close to this standard. Quite the opposite,” wrote Gayles , who was appointed by President Barack Obama. He noted that the journalists reached out to Trump, Justice Department officials and the Federal Bureau of Investigation before publication. “In short, the complaint and the article confirm that defendants attempted to investigate.”
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.
A spokeswoman for the Wall Street Journal’s publisher, Dow Jones & Co., said: “We stand behind the reliability, rigor and accuracy of The Wall Street Journal’s reporting.”
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.
They also argued the contents of the letter were consistent with Trump’s reputation, and noted that the article contained Trump’s denial that he wrote it. “President Trump has also publicly admitted to ‘locker room’ talk and has made numerous bawdy public statements,” the lawyers wrote.
Trump has said he cut off ties long before Epstein was first arrested in 2006. Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida state court to soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008. Federal prosecutors in 2019 charged Epstein with sex-trafficking underage girls in Florida and New York. Epstein died in a Manhattan federal jail while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide.
The article’s publication came as the Trump administration was besieged by questions about why it hadn’t released more Epstein-related documents in the Justice Department’s possession. In November, Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act , which required the attorney general to make unclassified documents related to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell publicly available within 30 days. Trump signed the legislation, and millions of pages, images and other files have since been released.
The president for years has been a frequent litigant against media outlets. In September, a federal judge tossed Trump’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times , book publisher Penguin Random House and several reporters. The ruling characterized the president’s legal complaint as a politicized screed that violated basic court requirements. Trump has since filed a new version of that complaint. The Times and co-defendants have said the lawsuit lacks merit and moved to dismiss it once again.
Trump in December also sued the BBC for defamation over the broadcaster’s editing of a documentary that featured his speech before the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. BBC has moved to dismiss the case, and a spokesman said the news organization would defend itself in court.
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Trump would lose Trump v Trump ... wherefore art thou Perry Mason?
Writing vanity articles...
You think they will?
If they can have it transfered to the 'impeccable' Aileen Cannon.
It’s nice to see someone stand up to the National Bully for a change.
Most judges follow the law and reject the laughable claims made by Trump and his mentally challenged minions. Sadly, those minions would rather bathe in their master's ball sweat than to accept facts, reality and a fair judicial hearing, so instead they mindlessly lash out at anyone who dares to try and hold their dear Leader to account. We'll likely see a few of them bob up even here, floating on their backs down Trumps diaphoresis river of lies.