By Fatma Younis
A federal judge has permanently dismissed Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch, and the journalists who reported on an alleged birthday letter Trump sent to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Lawsuit dismissed with prejudice
Florida Judge Darrin P. Gayles ruled on Saturday that Trump failed to prove "actual malice," the legal standard required for public figures to win defamation claims. The dismissal with prejudice bars Trump from filing another lawsuit against the defendants over the same matter.
Background of the case
The lawsuit, filed last summer, centered on a Journal article that published an alleged letter signed by Trump featuring a sexually suggestive drawing and a birthday wish reading "may every day be another wonderful secret." The Epstein estate later shared the document with members of Congress. Trump repeatedly denied writing the letter or that the signature was his, calling the story "FAKE NEWS."
Judge's reasoning
In his order, Judge Gayles wrote that Trump's allegations were "conclusory, vague, sometimes inconsistent with the article, and often irrelevant" to whether the defendants knew the statements were false. The judge emphasized that the First Amendment does not require journalists to abandon a story simply because a public figure denies an accusation, citing the landmark Supreme Court ruling in New York Times v. Sullivan.
Previous ruling
This marks the second time Judge Gayles has rejected Trump's case. In April, he dismissed Trump's initial attempt, stating the president came "nowhere close" to meeting the actual malice standard.
