Trump defamation suit against Murdoch, WSJ over Epstein letter dismissed with prejudice

A federal judge in Florida on Saturday dismissed President Donald Trump's amended defamation lawsuit with prejudice against media baron Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal, which claimed the newspaper defamed Trump with a story saying the president had sent a "bawdy" 50th birthday letter to notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The ruling comes roughly six months after Judge Darrin Gayles first dismissed the $10 billion lawsuit against Murdoch and the newspaper, which he owns. By dismissing the suit with prejudice, Trump cannot file another amended version of the lawsuit in the district court. He could seek appellate review. A spokesman for Trump's legal team said Trump "will continue to press forward in his powerhouse lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and all of the other defendants. The President will continue to hold those who mislead the American People with Fake News and smears accountable for their actions." Judge Gayles, as he did when dismissing the suit for the first time, noted Trump, who has adamantly denied sending the letter to his then-friend Epstein in 2003, had "not plausibly alleged that the Defendants published the Article with actual malice." "As with his first attempt, he has failed," reads Gayles' Saturday ruling. "Grasping at straws, the Amended Complaint attempts to manufacture flaws with the investigation." Plaintiffs who are public figures like Trump must show that a defendant had actual malice when they made allegedly defamatory statements, according to legal precedent. The amended lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, contained new details and claims, including that Murdoch told Trump "I will handle it" on a phone call about an article describing a birthday letter to Epstein that allegedly bore Trump's signature, Newsweek previously reported. This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.