Judge Throws Out Trump Defamation Suit Against Wall Street Journal

A judge in Miami has permanently thrown out a multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit filed by President Trump against The Wall Street Journal.

The Court Ruling

U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles issued a 20-page ruling dismissing the case with prejudice. This means the lawsuit cannot be refiled and the dismissal is permanent. The judge stated that the lawsuit was grasping at straws and tried to manufacture flaws in the newspaper's investigative reporting. He ruled that Mr. Trump did not prove the defendants made defamatory statements with actual malice. Public figures must prove that statements were published knowing they were false or with reckless disregard for the truth. In April, Judge Gayles had already dismissed an earlier version of the case for failing to meet this legal standard.

Origins of the Lawsuit

The legal battle began over a story published last year about a sexually suggestive letter and drawing. The Wall Street Journal reported that the item bore Mr. Trump's name and appeared in a 2003 birthday album compiled for Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday. Mr. Trump called the story fake and sued the paper, its parent company News Corp, the company's CEO, Rupert Murdoch, and the reporters involved. House lawmakers later subpoenaed a redacted version of the birthday book from Epstein's estate, which contained the letter. Karoline Leavitt, who was then White House press secretary, stated that the president clearly did not draw or sign the picture.

Reactions and Next Steps

A spokesperson for Mr. Trump's legal team told CBS News that they plan to keep pressing forward and holding people accountable for fake news and smears. Additionally, a source familiar with the legal strategy stated that the decision will likely be appealed.

Context

Defamation lawsuits involving public figures face a very high legal bar in the United States due to strict constitutional protections for the press. Plaintiffs must prove actual malice, which is often difficult to establish in court unless there is clear evidence that publishers knew their information was false before printing it.