Judge dismisses Trump's $10B lawsuit against WSJ, Murdoch over Epstein reporting

The ruling marks another blow in the Trump administration's efforts to manage fallout over the release of Epstein files.

Apr. 13, 2026 at 7:22pm

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A quiet, cinematic painting of an empty boardroom table in warm, diagonal sunlight and deep shadows, conceptually representing the political power struggle between the Trump administration and the media.The dismissal of Trump's high-stakes lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch underscores the ongoing tensions between the former president and the media.Washington Today

A federal judge has dismissed President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over a story on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles ruled that Trump had failed to make the argument that the article was published with the intent to be malicious, but gave the president a chance to file an amended complaint.

Why it matters

This case is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to use the legal system to chill reporting critical of the president, especially related to his connections to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The dismissal of this high-profile lawsuit is a setback for those efforts.

The details

Trump filed the lawsuit in July, following up on a promise to sue the paper almost immediately after it published an article that described a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper said bore Trump's signature and was included in a 2003 album compiled for Epstein's 50th birthday. Trump denied writing the letter, calling the story 'false, malicious, and defamatory.' Attorneys for the newspaper and Murdoch had asked the judge to rule that the article's statements were true and therefore couldn't be defamatory, but the judge wrote that 'whether President Trump was the author of the Letter or Epstein's friend are questions of fact that cannot be determined at this stage of the litigation.'

  • Trump filed the lawsuit in July 2026.
  • The judge dismissed the lawsuit on April 13, 2026.

The players

Donald Trump

The former president of the United States who filed the $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch.

Wall Street Journal

The newspaper that published the article about Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein that led to the lawsuit.

Rupert Murdoch

The media mogul who owns the Wall Street Journal and was named in Trump's defamation lawsuit.

Judge Darrin P. Gayles

The U.S. District Judge who dismissed Trump's $10 billion lawsuit.

Jeffrey Epstein

The late financier who had a well-documented relationship with Trump, which was the focus of the Wall Street Journal article that led to the lawsuit.

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What they’re saying

“The decision 'is not a termination' but rather a 'suggested re-filing' of his 'powerful case,' which Trump said would be done 'on or before April 27th.'”

— Donald Trump

“We stand behind the reliability, rigor and accuracy of The Wall Street Journal's reporting.”

— Spokesperson for Dow Jones

What’s next

Trump has until April 27th to file an amended complaint in the lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch.

The takeaway

This ruling is a setback for the Trump administration's efforts to use the legal system to suppress critical media coverage, particularly related to the former president's ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein. The dismissal of this high-profile lawsuit underscores the challenges the Trump team has faced in trying to chill reporting it deems unfavorable.