A federal judge in Florida has dismissed President Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal’s publisher and other defendants, ending the case in that court after Trump’s amended complaint failed to meet the required legal standard.
U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles ruled on October 31, 2026, that Trump had not plausibly alleged that each defendant acted with “actual malice” — knowledge that a statement was false or reckless disregard for whether it was true. The order dismissed the amended complaint with prejudice, meaning it cannot be filed again in the same court.
The defendants include Dow Jones, News Corp., Rupert Murdoch, Robert Thomson and Journal reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo. The court record documents the dismissal.
Ruling did not determine who made the letter
Trump sued in July 2025, seeking at least $10 billion over a Journal report about a letter and drawing attributed to him in an album for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003. Trump denied writing or drawing them.
Judge Gayles did not decide whether Trump authored the material or whether the newspaper’s report was true. The order said the court could not resolve the authenticity of the documents at this stage. Instead, it assessed whether Trump’s allegations were sufficient to proceed under the standard that applies to public figures.
The judge had dismissed Trump’s original complaint in April 2026 but allowed him to submit an amended version. The October ruling followed that second opportunity to plead the case. The court also left the issue of legal fees and costs for a later decision; the defendants may seek them through a motion within 30 days of the order.
The written decision addresses the sufficiency of Trump’s claims, not the truth of the disputed account.
Nicole French