A US federal judge has dismissed President Donald Trump's $20 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal for the second time. The case concerned the newspaper's report about a sexually suggestive birthday letter allegedly bearing Trump's name and addressed to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
US District Judge Darrin P. Gayles ruled on Saturday, October 31, that Trump had not shown enough evidence to establish that the newspaper acted with actual malice when it published the report. The latest decision also means Trump cannot file another amended complaint in the same case.
Judge rejects Trump's argument against WSJ
Trump argued that The Wall Street Journal should not have published the report after he denied writing the letter. However, Gayles rejected that claim, saying a public figure's denial does not prevent journalists from reporting on an allegation.
“Were that the law, any time a public figure or his team denies an accusation, journalists would be immediately blocked from publishing negative or contradictory press,” the judge wrote.
In defamation cases involving public figures, plaintiffs must show that a publication acted with actual malice. This means they must establish that the publisher knew the statement was false or acted with reckless disregard for whether it was true.
Gayles found that Trump's revised complaint still failed to meet this requirement.
{{/usCountry}}Gayles found that Trump's revised complaint still failed to meet this requirement.
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Second dismissal blocks another amended complaint
The judge had first dismissed Trump's lawsuit in April 2026, saying the original filing did not provide enough specific facts to support its claims of actual malice. However, he allowed Trump to submit a revised complaint to address the issues.
Trump filed an amended version in May, but Gayles found that it still fell short of the legal standard. Unlike the April ruling, Saturday's dismissal was with prejudice, meaning Trump cannot simply refile the same case with another amended complaint.
A spokesperson for Dow Jones, the parent company of The Wall Street Journal, welcomed the decision, telling CNN, “We're pleased with the court's decision.” The White House did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.
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Trump sued over Epstein birthday letter report
Trump filed the $20 billion lawsuit in July 2025 against The Wall Street Journal, its parent companies, media mogul Rupert Murdoch and two journalists.
The legal action followed the newspaper's report about a sexually suggestive letter allegedly bearing Trump's name. The message was part of a collection of birthday notes prepared for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003.
Trump denied writing the letter and accused the newspaper of knowingly publishing false information.