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Federal judge tosses Trump's defamation suit against Wall Street Journal

A federal judge ruled Trump did not prove actual malice over a Journal story on a disputed Epstein birthday album letter.

Updated Oct 31, 2026 · 22:26 UTC3 reports

The short version

  • A Miami federal judge threw out Trump's suit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch with prejudice on Saturday.[Associated Press · ABC News]
  • The judge found Trump did not prove actual malice, as the law requires in defamation cases.[Associated Press · ABC News]
  • The suit concerned a Journal story about a 2003 birthday album letter bearing Trump's name, which Trump denies writing.[Associated Press · ABC News]
  • Trump's legal team says it will keep pressing the case, and a source familiar with the strategy expects an appeal.[CBS News]

Key facts

  • U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami dismissed Trump's lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch with prejudice on Saturday.[Associated Press · ABC News]
  • The judge ruled that Trump did not prove the defendants made defamatory statements with actual malice.[Associated Press · ABC News]
  • The suit concerned a Journal story from last year describing a sexually suggestive letter that the paper said bore Trump's name and was included in a 2003 album for Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday.[Associated Press · ABC News]
  • Trump denied writing the letter and called the story false, malicious, and defamatory.[ABC News]
  • Judge Gayles dismissed the suit in April and allowed Trump to file an amended complaint, which he filed in May.[ABC News]
  • A spokesperson for Trump's legal team said the president will continue to press forward in the lawsuit.[CBS News]

What remains uncertain

  • Whether the dismissal will be appealed is not confirmed; a source familiar with the strategy says it will likely be appealed.[CBS News]
  • Authorship of the letter remains disputed, since Trump denies writing it and the Journal reported that it bore his name.[Associated Press · ABC News]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.