A federal judge on Monday dismissed President Donald J. Trump’s defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, finding that he failed to meet the high legal standard required for public figures to pursue such claims.

Trump’s lawsuit stemmed from a July 17, 2025, Wall Street Journal article reporting that Trump’s name appeared on a 2003 birthday greeting for Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender. Trump denied the report, calling the greeting “fake,” and sought $10 billion in damages for alleged reputational harm.

The Journal, owned by News Corp’s Dow Jones division, defended its reporting and moved to have the case dismissed.

U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles, of the Southern District of Florida, granted the dismissal but allowed Trump the opportunity to file an amended complaint by April 27. Gayles was appointed to the federal bench in 2014 by President Barack Obama.

In his ruling, Gayles said Trump’s complaint did not adequately allege “actual malice,” the legal standard required in defamation cases involving public figures. Established by the U.S. Supreme Court in New York Times v. Sullivan, the standard requires plaintiffs to show that a publication either knew a statement was false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.

Legal experts had widely viewed the lawsuit as a difficult case to win, given strong First Amendment protections for the press and the demanding “actual malice” standard.

The dismissal leaves open the possibility that Trump could revive the case by addressing the deficiencies identified by the court in an amended filing.

The case underscores ongoing tensions between Trump and major news organizations, as well as the broader legal challenges involved in bringing defamation claims over reporting on public figures and their past associations.