Judge Cites Lack of Actual Malice in Dismissal of Trump’s $10 Billion Wall Street Journal Lawsuit
Trump v. Wall Street Journal Defamation Litigation·April 13 – April 13, 2026
20 days ago
Judge Cites Lack of Actual Malice in Dismissal of Trump’s $10 Billion Wall Street Journal Lawsuit
U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles dismissed Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against Dow Jones & Co, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal. The court ruled that Trump failed to meet the actual malice legal standard required for defamation cases involving public figures. This standard requires a plaintiff to prove that a publisher acted with knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for the truth as noted in legal filings. The lawsuit focused on a report regarding Trump's alleged connection to a Jeffrey Epstein birthday album. Judge Gayles found that the complaint did not adequately show the newspaper intended to cause harm or ignored facts that would have changed the story according to court reports. This ruling effectively ends the legal challenge over the newspaper's reporting on the matter.
A federal judge dismisses Trump's defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street JournalPresident Trump's Libel Lawsuit Over Wall Street Journal Article on Epstein's Birthday Letters DismissedJudge tosses Trump's $10 billion suit against the WSJ over Epstein birthday book report
20 days ago
Federal Judge Dismisses Trump's $10 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Against Wall Street Journal
A federal judge dismissed Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal on Monday. The lawsuit focused on a report about Trump's past ties to Jeffrey Epstein and a 2003 letter. Judge Darrin Gayles ruled that Trump failed to show the newspaper acted with actual malice. This means the court found no evidence that the publication knew the information was false or ignored the truth on purpose. The judge tossed the case because the legal standards for defamation against public figures were not met.
Although the lawsuit was dismissed, the judge gave Trump a chance to refile an updated version of his complaint. The legal action originally targeted the newspaper and its parent company for reporting on an Epstein birthday book piece. This ruling is a major development in the ongoing legal battle between the former president and the news organization.
US judge dismisses Trump's $10bn lawsuit against WSJ over Epstein storyJudge dismisses Trump's $10B defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street JournalJudge tosses Trump's Wall Street Journal defamation lawsuit, gives him chance to refile
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