Judge dismisses Trump's $10 billion suit over Epstein birthday letter

A federal judge in Miami on Saturday threw out Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over a story about a letter connected to Jeffrey Epstein. U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled.

Gayles wrote that the amended complaint "falls short of pleading actual malice." He said the allegations about malice were "conclusory, vague, sometimes inconsistent with the Article, and often irrelevant to whether Defendants knew or should have known that the statements in the Article were purportedly false." The judge said the lawsuit had attempted to "manufacture" flaws in the Journal's reporting.

The suit stems from a Journal story published last year about a sexually suggestive letter and drawing the paper reported bore Trump's name. The material was included in a 2003 album compiled for Epstein's 50th birthday, which the newspaper said was collected by Ghislaine Maxwell. The letter includes text framed by the outline of what appears to be a hand-drawn naked woman and ends with, "Happy Birthday, and may every day be another wonderful secret," according to the Journal.

Trump denied writing it and called the story "false, malicious, and defamatory." The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, accused the paper and its reporters of having "knowingly and recklessly" published "numerous false, defamatory, and disparaging statements." It alleged the reporting caused "overwhelming financial and reputational harm" to the president.

Gayles first dismissed the suit in April, saying Trump had not shown the article was published with intent to be malicious. He allowed an amended complaint, which Trump filed in May. In Saturday's ruling, Gayles cited the Supreme Court's 1964 decision in New Times Co. v. Sullivan, which requires proof that a media outlet knowingly published something false or showed reckless disregard for the truth to win a libel case involving a public figure.

The judge wrote that the Journal's story did not ignore Trump's denial. "Rather, it informed readers that President Trump decried the Letter as a fake and denied writing it," Gayles wrote. He also said several other allegations in the lawsuit did not have merit.

Epstein was first arrested in 2006 and later had a falling-out with Trump. The ruling is one of several involving news organizations during Trump's second term. He is also involved in lawsuits involving the BBC and The Associated Press. CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed suit in October seeking restored access after they were removed from the White House in mid-September.