Trump Suffers Major Setback in Legal Battle Over Epstein Case

A U.S. federal court has permanently dismissed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The court ruled that Trump failed to provide sufficient evidence to support his defamation claims against *The Wall Street Journal* and its owner, Rupert Murdoch.

U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles delivered the ruling on Saturday (October 31). He stated that Trump failed to establish "actual malice"—a legal requirement for proving defamation.

Under U.S. law, to prove defamation, a plaintiff must demonstrate that the defendant published a statement knowing it was false, or acted with reckless disregard for whether it was true or false.

Judge Gayles remarked that, in his $10 billion lawsuit against *The Wall Street Journal*, Trump appeared to be "grasping at straws."

In his written opinion, the judge noted that the amended complaint failed to establish "actual malice." Instead, the allegations of malice were vague, unsubstantiated, and, at times, contradicted by the information contained within the news reports themselves. Many of these claims were irrelevant to the core question of whether the defendants knew—or should have known—that the information in their reports was false.

The judge further observed that Trump’s legal team appeared to have artificially manufactured flaws in an attempt to discredit the investigative reporting published by *The Wall Street Journal*.

The lawsuit stemmed from a report concerning Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

On July 17, 2020, *The Wall Street Journal* published a special report revealing that a collection of birthday greetings had been compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003—a collection that included a birthday message attributed to Trump containing sexual innuendo. The report states that these well-wishes were collected by the controversial British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.

The letter, attributed to Trump, featured a hand-drawn outline of a woman’s body surrounding the typed text. According to the report, Trump’s signature appears near the bottom of the drawing, close to the pelvic area.

Trump has vehemently denied any involvement in the writing of the letter, the signature, or the drawing. A copy of the birthday letter was later released by the House Oversight Committee.

The *Wall Street Journal* report emerged at a time when Trump’s second administration faced intense criticism for allegedly keeping documents related to Epstein’s purported sex crimes under wraps—despite promises to ensure transparency.

Critics have also raised questions about the nature of the relationship between Trump and Epstein; the two were seen together at various social events. Epstein maintained connections with influential figures across the realms of politics, academia, and business.

In 2025, Trump claimed that he had severed ties with Epstein because Epstein had "stolen" female staff members from his Mar-a-Lago resort.

In 2008, Epstein was convicted in Florida of soliciting a minor for sexual purposes, for which he served 13 months in prison. In 2019, before his trial on federal sex trafficking charges could begin, he was found dead in his New York jail cell. His death was subsequently ruled a suicide.

Legal experts estimate that the number of individuals subjected to sexual abuse by Epstein reaches into the hundreds.

Following the publication of the *Wall Street Journal* report, Trump expressed his anger toward the news outlet. He described the report as "false, malicious, and defamatory."

Trump filed the lawsuit in a federal court in Miami on July 18, 2025. The suit alleged that Rupert Murdoch—the owner of the media outlet—the journalists involved, and *The Wall Street Journal* had knowingly and recklessly published false, defamatory, and disparaging statements.

The lawsuit further claimed that this caused significant financial loss and damage to Trump’s reputation. Two journalists associated with the *Wall Street Journal* report were also named as defendants.

Previously, in April, Judge Giles had dismissed the defamation suit, stating that Trump had failed to provide evidence that the report was published with actual malice. However, he was granted the opportunity to file an amended complaint, which Trump submitted in May.

The new complaint alleged that *The Wall Street Journal* acted recklessly by failing to disclose how the letter reached the journalists or how its authenticity was verified.

However, a recent ruling by the Miami court on Saturday has effectively brought an end to Trump’s efforts. The judge dismissed the case, meaning that the possibility of filing a new lawsuit based on the same allegations is now foreclosed.

In addition to the case against *The Wall Street Journal*, Trump has several other ongoing defamation lawsuits against various media outlets, including the BBC and *The New York Times*. Source: Al Jazeera