Trump revives $10B suit against WSJ over Epstein birthday letter story after judge dismissed case

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump refiled his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against Dow Jones & Company and The Wall Street Journal over a report concerning a birthday letter linked to Jeffrey Epstein.

The revised complaint comes after a federal judge dismissed Trump’s earlier lawsuit last month. The updated filing adds new allegations involving media mogul Rupert Murdoch, with Trump’s lawyers claiming the Journal knowingly published false information that caused “overwhelming” reputational and financial harm.

Refiled complaint adds Rupert Murdoch allegation after earlier dismissal

The Wall Street Journal article at the center of the dispute focused on a 2003 birthday letter allegedly sent by Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. According to the report, the letter contained the line, “Happy Birthday, may every day be another wonderful secret,” written inside a drawing resembling a woman’s silhouette.

The document also appeared to bear Trump’s name and signature. The president has repeatedly denied authoring the letter or drawing and claims the Journal knowingly published false information. 

The material was later released publicly by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. In the revised lawsuit, Trump alleges he personally contacted Rupert Murdoch after Journal reporters reached out to the White House about the story before publication.

“In response, Murdoch stated, ‘I will handle it,’ which Trump reasonably interpreted as meaning that Murdoch believed the president, and that the article would not be published,” the complaint states. Trump’s lawyers argue the Journal either knew the information was false or failed to properly investigate before publishing the story.

The complaint specifically references Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate, stating, “Of the two surviving individuals who could substantiate (the claims)... one person, President Trump, vehemently denied the existence of the alleged letter, and the other person (Maxwell) has testified to a federal official that she had no knowledge of it.”

Trump’s revived lawsuit renews debate over defamation standards and press freedom

The earlier version of Trump’s lawsuit was dismissed by US District Judge Darrin Gayles, who ruled the complaint did not adequately establish "actual malice," the constitutional standard requiring proof that journalists either knowingly published false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.

However, the judge permitted the POTUS to amend and refile the complaint with additional allegations. The revised filing is seven pages longer than the original and seeks to directly address the court’s earlier concerns.

The complaint also alleges the Journal omitted his denial from the story, though the published article reportedly stated that “Trump denied writing the letter or drawing the picture.”

The renewed case is expected to draw scrutiny not only because of Trump’s allegations involving Epstein, but also because it forms part of a broader series of lawsuits the president has filed against major news outlets, including The New York Times, the BBC, and the Des Moines Register.