Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday letter dismissed with prejudice

October 31, 2026 / 4:59 PM EDT / CBS News

A multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit by President Trump against The Wall Street Journal over a story reporting his ties to a birthday book for Jeffrey Epstein has been thrown out.

In a 20-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami dismissed the suit with prejudice on Saturday, ruling that Mr. Trump did not prove the defendants made defamatory statements with actual malice.

He said the lawsuit was "grasping at straws" as it attempted to "manufacture" flaws in the WSJ's investigative reporting.

Actual malice requires that plaintiffs prove that statements made about a public figure were published with the knowledge that they were false, or with disregard for whether they are true or not.

When a case is thrown out "with prejudice," it cannot be refiled again, and the dismissal is permanent and incontrovertible.

"President Trump will continue to press forward in his powerhouse lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and all of the other defendants," a spokesperson for Mr. Trump's legal team told CBS News in a statement. "The President will continue to hold those who mislead the American People with Fake News and smears accountable for their actions."

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Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/