Donald Trump Appeals Dismissal of $10 Billion Defamation Lawsuit
Donald Trump filed an appeal after a judge dismissed his $10 billion defamation suit against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch.
President Donald Trump filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit after a district court dismissed his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch. The legal action stemmed from a September 2025 report alleging that Trump sent a birthday card and a drawing of a naked woman to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.
U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles dismissed the case with prejudice on October 31, 2026. The judge ruled that the allegations were conclusory and vague, and that Trump failed to prove the publication acted with actual malice. Trump has consistently denied creating the note or the image, labeling the reporting as Fake News.
A spokesperson for Trump's legal team stated the president will continue to press forward with the litigation. Conversely, a spokesperson for Dow Jones expressed satisfaction with the court's decision to dismiss the complaint.
