US President Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch.
Kevin Lamarque | Ricky Carioti | Via Reuters
A federal judge in Florida on Saturday dismissed an amended libel lawsuit with prejudice against media mogul Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal for defaming President Donald Trump with an article that said he sent a “vulgar” 50th birthday letter to notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The ruling came about six months after Judge Darrin Gales first dismissed a $10 billion lawsuit against Murdoch and the newspaper he owns.
By dismissing the lawsuit with prejudice, President Trump cannot refile a revised version of the lawsuit in district court. He may seek appellate review.
A spokesperson for Trump’s defense team said Trump “continues to press forward with a strong case against the Wall Street Journal and all other defendants. The President will continue to hold accountable those who misled the American people with fake news and defamation.”
Judge Gales noted that, as he did when he first dismissed the case, Trump, who has adamantly denied sending letters to his then-friend Epstein in 2003, “did not plausibly allege that the defendants actually published the articles with malicious intent.”
“Like his first attempt, he failed,” Gales’ ruling Saturday said. “In a desperate bid to grasp at straws, the amended complaint attempts to fabricate flaws in the investigation.”
According to case law, a plaintiff who is a public figure like Trump must prove that the defendant had actual malice when he made the allegedly defamatory statements.
Newsweek earlier reported that the amended lawsuit filed in federal court in Miami included new details and allegations, including that Murdoch told Trump over the phone that “I’ll deal with it” about an article describing a birthday letter to Epstein that was allegedly signed by Trump.
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