Trump defamation suit against Murdoch, WSJ over Epstein letter dismissed with prejudice

Key points

• A federal judge in Miami dismissed with prejudice Trump's defamation suit against Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal.
• Judge Darrin Gayles ruled Trump again failed to plausibly allege actual malice in the July 2025 article about an Epstein birthday letter.
• Trump plans to appeal the ruling, his legal team confirmed to CNBC.

A federal judge in Miami on Saturday dismissed with prejudice President Donald Trump's amended defamation lawsuit against media baron Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal over the newspaper's reporting on a purported 50th birthday letter from the president to Jeffrey Epstein. District Court Judge Darrin Gayles ruled that Trump had again failed to plausibly allege the newspaper and other defendants acted with actual malice when they published the story in July 2025.

By dismissing the suit with prejudice, the judge blocked Trump from filing another suit alleging the same claims about Murdoch and the paper in federal court. Trump was seeking $10 billion in damages from Murdoch and the Journal, which is owned by Murdoch's News Corp.

Judge's reasoning

Gayles wrote in the 20-page ruling that "As with his first attempt, he has failed," and that the amended complaint was "Grasping at straws" in trying to manufacture flaws with the investigation. He said the Journal had conducted a "thoughtful and detailed investigation" and rejected Trump's argument that the newspaper should not have published the story after he denied writing the letter.

The judge did not determine whether Trump actually authored the disputed letter. Trump has adamantly denied writing it. Gayles noted that public figures like Trump must show actual malice, citing Supreme Court decisions, and said accepting Trump's argument would effectively allow public figures to block unfavorable reporting, which "runs afoul of the First Amendment."

We're pleased with the court's decision.

— A spokesperson for Dow Jones & Co.

Reactions and next steps

A spokesperson for the newspaper's publisher, Dow Jones & Co., said in a statement to CNBC on Saturday, "We're pleased with the court's decision." A spokesman for Trump's legal team confirmed to CNBC that the president plans to appeal the ruling, saying Trump "will continue to press forward in his powerhouse lawsuit" and hold those who mislead the American people accountable.

The ruling is the latest setback in litigation between Trump and the media. Another federal judge in Miami on Oct. 22 ordered Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11.