Judge Dismisses Trump’s Lawsuit Over Epstein Letter Report
A Florida judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed last summer by Donald Trump concerning a report that he had sent a "bawdy" letter to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. However, the judge has allowed the former US president two weeks to re-file the case.
Trump, known for frequently suing media companies both during and after his presidency, contended that a lewd drawing central to the story was fabricated. The lawsuit attracted particular attention because one of the defendants was Rupert Murdoch, a prominent media ally of Trump, whose News Corporation media empire owns The Wall Street Journal.
Trump reportedly contacted Murdoch personally in an attempt to prevent the publication of the 17 July 2025 article titled "Jeffrey Epstein’s Friends Sent Him Bawdy Letters for a 50th Birthday Album. One Was From Donald Trump." The Journal did not initially publish the image, which was later released by the House oversight committee in September after it was provided by Epstein’s estate.
Representatives for The Wall Street Journal moved to dismiss the claim, arguing that the complaint failed to meet the legal standard for defamation. They stated the authors did not publish the story knowing it was false or believing it was likely false.
Judge Rules Complaint Fails to Allege Actual Malice
On Monday, Judge Darrin P. Gayles agreed with the defendants, ruling that the complaint "fails to adequately allege actual malice," the requisite standard for defamation lawsuits involving public figures.
The judge noted that there was substantial evidence indicating The Wall Street Journal sought to verify the authenticity of the drawing. He emphasized that Trump's assertion that the drawing was fake does not imply the Journal acted "with serious doubts" about the story's truthfulness.
"Because President Trump has not plausibly alleged that Defendants published the Article with actual malice, both Counts must be dismissed,"
Judge Gayles wrote.
Opportunity to Re-File and Responses from Both Parties
Trump’s legal team has been granted until 27 April to re-file the lawsuit, potentially including additional evidence that the Journal published the claim while knowing it was false or likely to be false. The judge also noted that Trump’s team had not provided evidence or allegations of special damages in the initial filing.
"President Trump will follow Judge Gayles’s ruling and guidance to refile this powerhouse lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and all of the other Defendants,"
a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said in a statement.
"The President will continue to hold accountable those who traffic in Fake News to mislead the American People."
A spokesperson for Dow Jones, the News Corp division responsible for The Wall Street Journal, responded:
"We are pleased with the judge’s decision to dismiss this complaint. We stand behind the reliability, rigor and accuracy of The Wall Street Journal’s reporting."
Context of Ongoing Legal Actions
Donald Trump currently has an active lawsuit against the BBC concerning the editing of a documentary. Additionally, his administration has faced multiple lawsuits from various media companies related to First Amendment issues.
