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A federal judge has dismissed President Donald Trump's lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over a story about a birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein. The lawsuit accused the newspaper of defamation, claiming the letter, which bore Trump's name, was fabricated. However, U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles ruled on Saturday (October 31) that Trump did not plausibly allege the Journal acted with "actual malice" when publishing the story.
The judge's decision to dismiss the case with prejudice means it cannot be refiled. According to the Boston Herald, the lawsuit was described as "grasping at straws" and attempting to "manufacture" flaws in the Journal's reporting. The article in question, published in 2025, reported on a letter included in a 2003 album for Epstein's 50th birthday, allegedly featuring a drawing of a naked woman and ending with the phrase, "Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret."
Trump denied writing the letter and called the story "false, malicious, and defamatory." Despite his denial, the court noted the Journal's efforts to obtain Trump's response before publication and its inclusion of his denials as evidence of appropriate reporting standards.
The lawsuit sought $10 billion in damages, but the court found that Trump's amended complaint still failed to meet the high legal threshold of "actual malice" required for defamation claims involving public figures. A spokesperson for Trump's legal team stated that he would continue to hold media organizations accountable for "Fake News and smears."
The Washington Post reported that representatives for the Journal argued the story was accurate and did not meet the bar for defamation. They maintained that the reporters had not knowingly published false information or acted with a belief that the material was likely false.