Judge Tosses Trump Lawsuit Against Wall Street Journal over Epstein Birthday Book
A US judge has dismissed President Donald Trump’s $10bn (£7.4bn) lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, saying it was “grasping at straws”.
Trump had sued the media outlet’s parent business, Dow Jones, and its head, Rupert Murdoch, last year after it published a piece containing a letter, supposedly from Trump to disgraced billionaire and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, that was part of a birthday book in 2003, before Epstein was charged with sex offenses.
Trump has denied drafting or signing the letter, which had a drawing of the contour of a woman’s body and provocative language.
Judge Darrin Gayles dismissed the case, saying the claim violated the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of the press.
Gayles already tossed out the slander claim once, seeking $20 billion in damages. Trump’s team refiled the claim seeking $10 billion, and this time the judge dismissed it “with prejudice, meaning the suit cannot be refiled.
The outlet’s article on the letter with Trump’s name and Epstein’s 50th birthday book came as the Trump administration faced heavy bipartisan criticism over the summer for its handling of Epstein documents.
Trump alleged the publication had libelled him and violated libel laws by publishing the article.
In a 20-page verdict, Gayles stated the paper’s “thoughtful and detailed investigation” led to the story and that the lawsuit was “grasping at straws” to “manufacture flaws” in their work.
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