The trump $10bn lawsuit dismissal came on a fast-moving legal day in Florida, where a US federal judge rejected Donald Trump’s case against the over a report linking him to Jeffrey Epstein. The case centered on a 17 July article about a birthday book allegedly given to Epstein in 2003. The judge said Trump had not come close to showing actual malice, the key standard in defamation claims.
Judge says the Trump $10bn lawsuit dismissal falls short of the legal standard
US District Judge Darrin Gayles dismissed the complaint without prejudice, meaning Trump can file a new amended lawsuit. He has until 27 April to do so. In his ruling, Gayles said the complaint did not plausibly allege that the defendants published the article with actual malice, which in US defamation law means the plaintiff must show the statement was false and that the publisher knew it was false, should have known it was false, or acted in reckless disregard of whether it was false.
Trump had sued the newspaper and its owners, including Rupert Murdoch, in a Florida federal court last summer. He sought at least $10bn in damages after the report said his name appeared in a birthday book given to Epstein and described a drawing of a woman’s body that the newspaper said was included in the message.
What the court said about the reporting
The judge’s decision turns on whether the complaint met the high bar for a public figure to show actual malice. Gayles said Trump had “nowhere close” to meeting that threshold. The court’s dismissal leaves open the possibility of a revised filing, but it is a clear setback for Trump’s current version of the case.
The newspaper, owned by News Corp., had published exclusive reporting over the summer tying Trump and Epstein together through the birthday book. Weeks later, Democratic lawmakers released an image of the birthday note on social media before the release of other Epstein-related documents. The paper had not published an image of the note at the time, but the written description matched the image later released by lawmakers.
Reactions after the trump $10bn lawsuit dismissal
Trump’s lawyer told the that the president will refile the “powerhouse” suit. The same lawyer said Trump will “continue to hold accountable those who traffic in Fake News to mislead the American People”.
Trump has denied writing the message, calling it “a fake thing”. The case now moves into its next phase, with the deadline for any amended filing set for 27 April in Florida federal court.
What comes next after the trump $10bn lawsuit dismissal
The immediate question is whether Trump chooses to submit a revised complaint before the deadline. Because the dismissal was without prejudice, the legal fight is not over, but the judge’s ruling sets a high bar for any next filing. For now, the trump $10bn lawsuit dismissal leaves Trump with a narrow path forward and the case still active only if he returns to court with a stronger amended claim.
