A federal judge threw out President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal on Monday, ruling the legal action failed to meet the high standard required to prove actual malice in cases involving public figures and media organizations.

Court Finds No Evidence of Malice

U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles determined Trump’s lawsuit came nowhere close to demonstrating the Journal acted with actual malice when reporting on an alleged birthday card Trump purportedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. The legal standard requires showing a publication knowingly printed false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. Judge Gayles noted the Journal contacted Trump, Justice Department officials, and the FBI before publication, included Trump’s denial in the article, and reviewed the birthday book containing the disputed card.

The lawsuit centered on a July 2024 Wall Street Journal story reporting that a birthday book assembled for Epstein’s 50th birthday appeared to include a bizarre card from Trump. The card featured a hand-drawn outline of a naked woman with Trump’s first name signed in a specific area, plus a typewritten note depicting an imaginary conversation. Trump denied any involvement, and his attorney accused the newspaper of fabricating the card’s existence entirely.

Trump Gets Second Chance to File

Judge Gayles dismissed the case without prejudice, giving Trump two weeks to file an amended complaint with stronger evidence. The judge cited legal precedent as justification for allowing another attempt. A spokesman for Trump’s legal team confirmed the President plans to refile what they called a powerhouse lawsuit against the Journal and other defendants. Dow Jones and Company, the Journal’s publisher, released a statement expressing satisfaction with the dismissal and standing behind their reporting’s reliability, rigor, and accuracy.

The Epstein Connection

Trump socialized with Jeffrey Epstein for over a decade before their relationship ended in the early 2000s. Trump has stated they fell out because he believed Epstein was a creep who took employees, including young women, from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. Former President Bill Clinton testified before the House Oversight Committee this year that Trump told him their falling out stemmed from a real estate deal dispute. Epstein, a politically connected financier, pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor in 2008 and died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Federal authorities have said Epstein preyed on over 1,000 women and girls. Trump has not been charged with any wrongdoing connected to Epstein.