A federal judge in Florida has set aside, for now, a sweeping defamation suit that a sitting president brought against a newspaper and its media-owning chairman over reporting on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The ruling turned on a quiet but decisive question: whether the paper acted with the kind of malicious intent that public figures must prove, and the judge found that case not yet made. Yet the door was left ajar, and the matter now rests on whether a revised complaint can answer what the court found missing. Set against a day when markets returned to their pre-war footing, the episode rea
Judge Dismisses Trump's $10B Defamation Suit Against WSJ, Grants Leave to Refile
"Not a termination" — Trump on a ruling that dismissed his $10B suit
Mark
So did Trump lose this case, or not?
Mimi
Not finally. The judge dismissed the complaint, but he let Trump file an amended one. The suit is paused, not dead.
Mark
What was the actual problem with the complaint?
Mimi
Judge Darrin Gayles wrote that Trump hadn't made the argument that the article was published with malicious intent. That's a key element of a defamation claim.
Mark
And Trump's reaction?
Mimi
He posted that it's not a termination but a suggested re-filing of a powerful case, and said he'd refile on or before April 27th.
Luke
Worth separating what's confirmed from what's promised. The dismissal and the leave to amend are in the order. The April 27 date comes from Trump's own post, not from the court.
Mark
So we don't know what the new complaint will say?
Luke
Right. Nothing in the reporting says how it will address malicious intent, or whether it will succeed. That's unknown until it's filed.
Mimi
And the case involves the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch, over a story about Trump's ties to Epstein. That's what's being argued, not just the money.
Luke
The $10 billion is what Trump is claiming. It's not a finding of anything.
Mark
And the stock market item alongside it?
Mimi
Separate story, same day. Stocks recovered their war losses, with the S&P 500 up 1%, though oil above $100 shows the uncertainty hasn't gone away.
Le Pouls
- A federal judge tossed President Trump's $10 billion defamation suit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch, striking at the heart of his claim.
- The ruling hinges on actual malice, the high bar public figures must clear, and Judge Darrin Gayles found Trump had not shown it.
- Trump answered within hours, calling the decision a 'suggested re-filing' and promising an amended complaint on or before April 27.
- The case is not over: leave to amend keeps the lawsuit alive, and every new filing will be measured against the judge's objection.
- Markets stepped back from the brink as stocks erased wartime losses and oil eased from above $100, though the Iran war and stalled ceasefire talks remain unresolved.
A federal judge in Florida has set aside, for now, a sweeping defamation suit that a sitting president brought against a newspaper and its media-owning chairman over reporting on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The ruling turned on a quiet but decisive question: whether the paper acted with the kind of malicious intent that public figures must prove, and the judge found that case not yet made. Yet the door was left ajar, and the matter now rests on whether a revised complaint can answer what the court found missing. Set against a day when markets returned to their pre-war footing, the episode reads as one more chapter in the long, unresolved friction between power and the press.
On Monday, a federal judge in Florida dismissed President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and its owner, Rupert Murdoch. The suit centered on a story about Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and it had been one of the most closely watched press cases the president had brought.
U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles concluded that Trump had not shown the article was published with malicious intent. For a public figure, that element is central to a defamation claim, and the judge found it missing.
But the dismissal did not close the case. Gayles allowed Trump to file an amended complaint, and within hours the president posted that the ruling was "not a termination" but a "suggested re-filing" of his "powerful case." He said the new filing would arrive on or before April 27.
The same day, Wall Street found some relief. Stocks rallied and erased the losses they had taken since the U.S.-Iran war began in late February, with the S&P 500 back to its pre-war level. Oil, which had jumped above $100 a barrel after weekend ceasefire talks failed, pulled back as the day went on. The war itself, and the talks meant to end it, remain unresolved.
On Monday, a federal judge in Florida threw out President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and its owner, Rupert Murdoch. The suit concerned a story about Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles wrote in his order that Trump had not made the case that the article was published with malicious intent. That element is central to a defamation claim brought by a public figure, and the order found it lacking.
The dismissal is not the end of the case. Gayles gave the president leave to file an amended complaint, so the lawsuit can continue if Trump's lawyers fix the gap the judge identified.
Several hours after the ruling, Trump responded in a social media post. He said the decision "is not a termination" but a "suggested re-filing" of what he called his "powerful case." He said the refiling would come "on or before April 27th," which gives him a window of roughly two weeks from the ruling.
The question now is whether a revised complaint can plead malicious intent more convincingly than the first. The order, as reported, turned on that point, so any amended filing will be read against it.
The same news cycle carried a financial story. U.S. stocks rallied Monday and erased the last of the losses they had suffered since the U.S.-Iran war began. The S&P 500 rose 1%, returning to where it stood before the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February. It now sits 1.3% below the all-time high it set earlier this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 301 points, or 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.2%.
The oil market was more volatile. Prices jumped above $100 per barrel after ceasefire talks over the weekend failed to end the war, but they pared those gains as Monday went on. Overall, moves in financial markets were far more modest than the extreme swings seen since the fighting started. Wall Street remains hopeful that the global economy can avoid a worst-case scenario.
Two things to watch: Trump's amended complaint, due by his own account on or before April 27, and whether the market's recovery holds as the war and the stalled ceasefire talks continue.
Citations marquantes
The decision is not a termination but a suggested re-filing of his powerful case.— President Donald Trump, in a social media post
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Politics & Governance