A federal judge has definitively thrown out Donald Trump’s renewed $10 billion defamation lawsuit against a prominent national newspaper, ruling that the complaint cannot be filed again and delivering another legal defeat for the president in his ongoing battles with the press.
U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami on Saturday granted the newspaper’s request to dismiss the litigation. The lawsuit had accused the publication of defaming Trump through an article detailing his historical relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Specifically, the reporting that prompted the legal action alleged that Trump had once sent a suggestive birthday letter to Epstein.
The ruling concludes a legal contest that saw Judge Gayles initially toss out the complaint in April due to a lack of supporting evidence. At that time, however, the court afforded Trump an opportunity to submit a revised complaint featuring strengthened claims. Trump filed the renewed version in May, though attorneys for the media outlet maintained that the updated filing failed to correct the fundamental deficiencies of the original case.
The final dismissal represents a significant victory for the newspaper, its parent corporation News Corp., and Chairman Emeritus Rupert Murdoch, all of whom were named as defendants. Throughout the proceedings, defense counsel argued that the contested article was entirely accurate and contended that the lawsuit was initiated primarily to chill media criticism of the president.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the court’s decision.
