The Wall Street Journal asked a federal judge to dismiss Donald Trump’s revised defamation lawsuit over its reporting on a sexually suggestive birthday letter allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump sued Dow Jones, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, and others after the Journal reported that a 2003 birthday album compiled for Epstein included a letter bearing Trump’s name. Trump denies writing it and claims the story was false and defamatory, but a federal judge already dismissed the earlier version of the lawsuit because Trump failed to plausibly show actual malice, the demanding legal standard public figures must meet in defamation cases. Trump then filed an amended complaint, arguing in part that Murdoch had told him he would “handle” the matter before publication, but the Journal says the revised lawsuit still does not fix the legal defects.
The Journal’s dismissal motion argues that Trump’s new complaint mostly repackages claims the court already rejected and still fails to show that the outlet knowingly published false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. The Journal says it accurately reported the existence of the letter, included Trump’s denial, and conducted reporting steps before publication, including seeking comment. It also asks the court to dismiss the case with prejudice and seeks legal fees under Florida’s anti-SLAPP law, casting the lawsuit as an attempt to punish or intimidate protected journalism. In plain terms, Trump is trying to keep the Epstein-letter defamation case alive after an earlier defeat, while the Journal is telling the court that the amended lawsuit is still legally empty and should now be thrown out for good.
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