A federal judge has dismissed President Donald Trump’s amended $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal with prejudice. The court said the complaint did not plausibly show that the newspaper acted with “actual malice” in reporting on an alleged letter in Jeffrey Epstein’s 2003 birthday album. 

Judge Dismisses Trump’s Amended Lawsuit

US District Judge Darrin P. Gayles dismissed the case on October 31, 2026, in the Southern District of Florida. Trump sued the Journal, its parent companies, reporters and Rupert Murdoch over a 2025 article about a sexually suggestive letter and drawing that the newspaper said bore Trump’s name and appeared in an album for Epstein’s 50th birthday.

The amended complaint sought at least $10 billion. Gayles had dismissed Trump’s original complaint in April for failing to meet the legal standard for a public figure’s defamation claim, but allowed him to amend it. Trump’s lawyers filed the revised complaint in May.

Court Says Complaint Fell Short of ‘Actual Malice’

Gayles ruled that the amended complaint still did not plausibly allege “actual malice”—that defendants published a statement knowing it was false or with reckless disregard for its truth. He described the allegations as vague and conclusory, with some inconsistent with the article or irrelevant to what the defendants knew when publishing it.

The decision addressed whether the complaint met the legal threshold; it was not a trial finding that every detail in the Journal’s report was true. The judge also rejected Trump’s argument that the newspaper should have withheld publication after he denied writing the letter, noting the article included his denial. 

Dismissal With Prejudice Ends Case in District Court

A dismissal “with prejudice” prevents Trump from refiling the same lawsuit in that court, though an appeal remains possible. Trump’s legal team has indicated it plans to challenge the ruling. Dow Jones, the Journal’s parent company, welcomed the decision.

The case stems from the Journal’s July 2025 report about an alleged birthday message in an album assembled for Epstein, who was convicted of sex offenses and later faced federal sex-trafficking charges. Trump denied writing the letter and called the report false and defamatory. The ruling is a setback for Trump in this case; an appeal would be a separate next step.