Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit over Epstein letter permanently dismissed
The dismissal with prejudice ends President Donald Trump's ability to refile this lawsuit, after a judge found he failed to show the newspaper acted with actual malice.
By Hushread Stories, from 24 outlets · First published 31 Oct 2026
In brief
- A federal judge dismissed President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch.
- Trump sued over the Wall Street Journal's reporting about his alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
- The disputed story concerned a sexually suggestive birthday letter bearing Trump's name, addressed to Jeffrey Epstein.
- Judge Darrin Gayles ruled Trump did not prove the defendants made defamatory statements with actual malice.
- The dismissal was with prejudice, barring Trump from amending or refiling this lawsuit over the matter.
Timeline · 1 moments
Judge dismisses Trump's Epstein letter lawsuit with prejudice
CNBC ↗Update 1 Nov 2026, 3:13 am UTC
The latest coverage confirms that the dismissal was with prejudice, so Trump cannot amend or refile the lawsuit. Judge Darrin Gayles ruled that Trump did not prove the defendants acted with actual malice; the ruling did not decide whether the letter was authentic, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Le Monde.
How it started
The lawsuit grew out of reporting about a birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. Deadline Hollywood described Trump's case as a $10 billion defamation lawsuit over that reporting.
The story concerned a lewd birthday letter bearing Trump's name, according to CNN. The lawsuit targeted The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over reporting on Trump's ties to Epstein.
How it unfolded
The case had already faced dismissal before Saturday's ruling. Deadline Hollywood reported that the judge had again thrown out the lawsuit, although the supplied coverage does not give dates for the earlier dismissals.
On October 31, 2026, a federal judge dismissed the case with prejudice, according to CNBC. That made this ruling different from a dismissal that would allow Trump to refile.
Trump failed to show that the newspaper acted with "actual malice" when it published the sexually suggestive birthday note, The Independent reported. That failure was the stated basis for permanently throwing out the case.
Where it stands
The lawsuit is now dismissed with prejudice. Trump cannot refile this lawsuit over the matter, according to CNBC.
The reported ruling concerns whether Trump met the legal requirements for his defamation claim. The supplied coverage does not describe a separate finding establishing who wrote the letter.
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