Judge dismisses Trump suit against Journal

A federal judge dismissed President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch on Saturday.

U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami ruled the case with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. The court found that Trump did not prove the defendants made defamatory statements with actual malice. Gayles described the lawsuit as an attempt to manufacture flaws in the paper’s investigative reporting.

The dispute centers on a story published last year about a sexually suggestive letter attributed to Trump. The Journal reported that the letter and a drawing were included in a 2003 birthday album for Jeffrey Epstein. Ghislaine Maxwell collected the materials for the album before Epstein’s 2006 arrest. The letter included text framed by an outline of a naked woman and ended with the phrase, “Happy Birthday, and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

Trump denied writing the letter and labeled the reporting false, malicious, and defamatory. His original complaint accused the newspaper of knowingly and recklessly publishing false statements that caused overwhelming financial and reputational harm. Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

Gayles had previously dismissed the suit in April but allowed Trump to file an amended complaint. The president did so in May. In his new ruling, Gayles cited the 1964 Supreme Court decision in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, which requires public figures to prove media outlets knowingly published falsehoods or showed reckless disregard for the truth.

The judge wrote that the amended complaint fell short of pleading actual malice. He noted that the allegations were conclusory and vague. Gayles also observed that the Journal’s story informed readers that Trump decried the letter as a fake and denied writing it. The White House did not immediately react publicly to the dismissal.

The decision ends one of several legal conflicts between the administration and news organizations. Trump is also involved in lawsuits with the BBC, The Associated Press, CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. Those outlets are suing for restored access after being banished from the White House in mid-September.