Trump loses legal battle over Epstein-linked Wall Street Journal case
Judge permanently drops Trump's $10bn WSJ lawsuit, ruling he failed to prove actual malice in the newspaper's reporting.
A federal judge has permanently dismissed United States President Donald Trump’s multibillion-dollar defamation lawsuit against media mogul Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal.
On Saturday, US District Judge Darrin Gayles concluded that the president had failed to establish the standard of “actual malice” required for defamation suits.
Under US law, a successful complaint must show that the defendant released a defamatory statement knowing it was false or with “reckless disregard” for its accuracy.
The Wall Street Journal’s article came at a time when Trump’s second administration was facing intense scrutiny over whether it had withheld documents about Epstein’s alleged sex crimes, despite promises of transparency.