Judge dismisses Trump’s lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over Epstein reporting

U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles of the Southern District of Florida found that Trump did not establish that the newspaper acted with “actual malice” in publishing its reporting.

Published: October 31, 2026 4:27pm

A federal judge on Saturday dismissed President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch and others over the newspaper’s reporting on his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The ruling marks the second time this year that courts have rejected Trump’s efforts to take legal action against the publication over its coverage of his relationship with the disgraced financier.

U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles of the Southern District of Florida found that Trump did not establish that the newspaper acted with “actual malice” in publishing its reporting.

The standard, established by the Supreme Court’s landmark New York Times v. Sullivan decision, requires public figures pursuing defamation claims to show that a publication knowingly made false statements or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.


 

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