A federal judge in Florida has dismissed President Donald Trump's renewed $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch. The suit centered on a story reporting on the president's ties to wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, specifically focusing on a birthday note allegedly sent to Epstein more than two decades ago.
In a 20-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami dismissed the suit with prejudice. The judge ruled that President Trump did not prove the defendants made defamatory statements with actual malice, as required by law. This was the president's second attempt to claim the publication had acted with actual malice.
By dismissing the suit with prejudice, the judge ruled that the lawsuit cannot be filed again or amended in district court. This decision marks another setback for the president's legal fights with the press, though Trump's legal team stated that the president plans to appeal.