Judge makes major ruling in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over Epstein ties

Donald Trump went after The Wall Street Journal in a huge way after the newspaper reported on an alleged birthday message sent to Jeffrey Epstein, with the president insisting the letter was fake and filing a mammoth $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the paper, Rupert Murdoch, and the journalists behind the story.

The row centred on a reported 2003 greeting that, as the Wall Street Journal described, allegedly carried Trump’s signature and included a sexually suggestive drawing alongside the lines: “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey…A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

Trump has repeatedly denied writing the letter and has also denied that the signature on the document is his.

Be that as it may, the case has now taken a major turn, because a federal judge has dismissed the lawsuit, at least for now.

A judge said Trump’s complaint fell far short of defamation standards (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

US District Judge Darrin P. Gayles ruled on Monday that Trump had failed to plausibly show that The Wall Street Journal acted with ‘actual malice’, which is the standard public figures have to meet in defamation claims.

In other words, it is not enough to argue that something false was published. A public figure also has to show that the outlet either knew it was false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.

Gayles was blunt in his ruling too, writing, as reported by Reuters: “This complaint comes nowhere close to this standard. Quite the opposite.”

The judge also pointed to the paper’s reporting process, noting that Journal reporters sought comment before publication and included Trump’s denial in the article, which worked against his claim that the newspaper knowingly pushed something false.

Importantly, though, the ruling does not necessarily bring the whole saga to an end.

The lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, meaning Trump has been given the chance to file an amended complaint, with reports like those from CNN saying he has until 27 April to do so.

A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team has already made it clear that it is the plan, saying the president will “refile this powerhouse lawsuit” against the Journal and the other defendants.

The case revived scrutiny over names appearing throughout the Epstein files (Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)

The alleged birthday message itself has stayed at the centre of the fallout ever since it was first reported, especially because Democrats in Congress later released a copy of the greeting that they said came from Epstein’s estate.

The reporting around the lawsuit has also thrown fresh attention on Trump’s wider mentions in the Epstein files.

His name is said to appear thousands of times across the millions of documents released by the Justice Department, and the pair were known to socialise together throughout the 1990s and 2000s, with Epstein once describing himself as Trump’s ‘closest friend’.

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and has insisted he cut ties with him years before the financier came under investigation.