April 13 (Reuters) – A U.S. judge dismissed on Monday Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over an article asserting the U.S. president’s name was on a 2003 birthday greeting for the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but said Trump could re-file the case.
Miami-based U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles said Trump did not meet the “actual malice” standard that public figures must clear in defamation. That means they must prove not only that a public statement about them was false but also that the media outlet or person who made the statement knew or should have known that it was false.
Gayles said Trump could file an amended version of the lawsuit by April 27.
In his lawsuit, Trump called the alleged birthday greeting “fake and sought $10 billion for what he called damage to his reputation. News Corp’s Dow Jones, the Journal’s parent, defended the accuracy of its July 17, 2025, article.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Daniel Wallis)
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