Judge Darrin P. Gayles dismissed Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation case
A federal judge dismissed Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over its report on a suggestive letter bearing Trump’s name in Jeffrey Epstein’s 2003 birthday album. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles found Trump failed to plausibly show the Journal acted with actual malice, dismissed the case with prejudice and called the suit “grasping at straws.”
More context
A federal judge Saturday threw out Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation case over The Wall Street Journal's coverage of a sexually suggestive 2003 birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein bearing Trump's name. U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles ruled Trump's revised complaint did not plausibly show the newspaper acted with “actual malice.” Gayles had dismissed the case once before, allowing Trump to amend his complaint, but said the revision did not address its deficiencies. He dismissed it with prejudice, barring refiling in that court. Gayles rejected Trump's argument that the Journal should have waited after Trump denied writing the letter, saying that would let public figures block coverage by denying accusations. He called the suit “grasping at straws” in its effort to “manufacture” flaws in the reporting. A Dow Jones spokesperson welcomed the ruling; Trump's legal team indicated it planned to appeal.
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Reporting
- Anadolu Agency — US judge permanently dismisses Trump’s defamation lawsuit against Wall Street Journal
- CNN — Judge tosses Trump’s lawsuit against Wall Street Journal again, this time for good | CNN Business
- CNBC — Trump defamation suit against Murdoch, WSJ over Epstein letter dismissed with prejudice
- Boston Herald — Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein letter dismissed
- CBS News — Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday letter dismissed with prejudice - CBS News
- BBC News — Judge dismisses Trump's lawsuit against WSJ over Epstein birthday book
- The Washington Post — Judge tosses Trump’s lawsuit over Wall Street Journal’s Epstein article - The Washington Post
- Associated Press — Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday letter is dismissed | AP News
Verifier’s note
CNN, CNBC, the Boston Herald, CBS News, BBC News, The Washington Post, AP, and Anadolu Agency all report that the lawsuit was dismissed. The reports describe the same recent ruling, with the Anadolu Agency and Boston Herald stories derivative of CNN and AP, respectively.