Federal Judge Dismisses Trump Wall Street Journal Defamation Suit With Prejudice
On Saturday, October 31, 2026, U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami issued a 20-page ruling dismissing President Donald Trump's defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and related News Corp defendants with prejudice.[1]
Gayles wrote that Trump failed to prove the defendants acted with "actual malice" and called the suit "grasping at straws" that sought to "manufacture" flaws in the Journal's reporting.[1] The lawsuit challenged a Journal story about a sexually suggestive letter and drawing bearing Trump's name in a 2003 Jeffrey Epstein 50th-birthday album that House lawmakers subpoenaed and later obtained in redacted form.[1] Gayles noted the Journal published Trump's denial that the items were fake, a point the judge said undercut claims of malicious reporting.[2] Trump named the Wall Street Journal, News Corp, its CEO, the story's reporters and Rupert Murdoch as defendants.[1] CBS News reported Trump sought $20 billion in damages.[1] PBS reported he sought $10 billion.[2]
In April 2026 Gayles had earlier dismissed the suit for failure to show actual malice, allowed Trump to amend his complaint, and after the amended May filing said the malice allegations remained "conclusory" and "vague." PBS News
A Trump legal spokesperson said the president will continue to press forward in his "powerhouse" lawsuit and that the decision will likely be appealed.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Saturday, October 31, 2026, U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami issued a 20-page ruling dismissing President Donald Trump's defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and related News Corp defendants with prejudice (U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles).
- Gayles' opinion said Trump failed to prove the defendants acted with 'actual malice' under the Supreme Court's 1964 New York Times Co. v. Sullivan standard and described the suit as 'grasping at straws' that sought to 'manufacture' flaws in the Journal's reporting (New York Times Co. v. Sullivan).
- The lawsuit targeted a Wall Street Journal story about a sexually suggestive letter and drawing bearing Trump's name in a 2003 Jeffrey Epstein 50th‑birthday album that Ghislaine Maxwell helped compile and that House lawmakers later subpoenaed and obtained in redacted form (Wall Street Journal story).
- Gayles noted the Journal article included Trump's denial — reporting that he decried the letter as a fake — which the judge said undercut claims that the reporting was malicious (the Journal article).
- Gayles had previously dismissed the suit in April 2026 for failure to show actual malice, allowed Trump to amend his complaint, and after the amended May filing concluded the malice allegations remained 'conclusory' and 'vague' before issuing the with‑prejudice dismissal on Saturday, October 31, 2026 (Gayles had previously dismissed the suit).
- Trump named the Wall Street Journal, News Corp, its CEO, the story's reporters and Rupert Murdoch as defendants and sought large damages — with CBS reporting $20 billion and PBS reporting $10 billion — and a Trump legal spokesperson told CBS the decision will likely be appealed (CBS reported $20 billion).
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- On Saturday, October 31, 2026, U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami dismissed President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch with prejudice.
- Gayles' ruling described Trump's case as 'grasping at straws' and said it sought to 'manufacture' flaws in the Journal's investigative reporting.
- The opinion held that Trump failed to prove the defendants acted with 'actual malice' as required under the Supreme Court's 1964 New York Times Co. v. Sullivan standard for public-figure libel suits.
- The article reiterates that the Journal story at issue reported on a sexually suggestive letter and drawing bearing Trump's name in a 2003 Jeffrey Epstein 50th-birthday album that Ghislaine Maxwell helped compile.
- Gayles noted that the Journal article included Trump's denial and informed readers that he decried the letter as a fake, undercutting claims that the reporting was malicious.
- The ruling followed an earlier April 2026 dismissal that allowed Trump to amend his complaint; after the amended filing in May, Gayles concluded the allegations of malice remained 'conclusory' and 'vague.'
- On Saturday, October 31, 2026, U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami issued a 20-page ruling dismissing President Donald Trump's defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and related News Corp defendants with prejudice.
- The ruling found Trump failed to prove the defendants acted with 'actual malice' and described the suit as 'grasping at straws' that attempted to 'manufacture' flaws in the Journal's investigative reporting.
- The lawsuit targeted a Wall Street Journal story about a sexually suggestive letter, bearing Trump's name, that was included in a 2003 Jeffrey Epstein 50th-birthday album, which House lawmakers later subpoenaed and obtained in redacted form from Epstein's estate.
- Trump had sought $20 billion in damages and named the Wall Street Journal, News Corp, its CEO, the story's reporters, and Rupert Murdoch as defendants.
- A Trump legal spokesperson told CBS News that 'President Trump will continue to press forward in his powerhouse lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and all of the other defendants,' and a source familiar with his legal strategy said the decision will likely be appealed.
- The article notes that in April 2026 Gayles previously dismissed the lawsuit for failure to show actual malice, after which Trump's legal team refiled before this with-prejudice dismissal.