Trump Appeals Twice-Dismissed $10B Libel Suit Against WSJ
President Trump is appealing a court's repeated dismissal of his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal.
President Donald Trump is appealing the dismissal of his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, after a judge threw out the complaint for the second time, according to a report from The New York Times.
The lawsuit centers on a Wall Street Journal article concerning a birthday greeting Trump allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender. Trump has disputed the reporting and pursued legal action against the publication, seeking $10 billion in damages.
Read more UK Welfare Review Set to Cut Sickness Benefits for Under-25s →
A judge dismissed the defamation complaint on two separate occasions, a signal that the court found the legal threshold for a successful libel claim — which is notably high for public figures under U.S. law — had not been met. Despite those rulings, Trump's legal team has opted to press forward by filing an appeal.
The case draws attention at a moment when high-profile figures, including media owners and politicians, are increasingly testing the boundaries of defamation law in U.S. courts. Legal analysts have noted that public figures must demonstrate "actual malice" — that a publisher knowingly printed falsehoods or acted with reckless disregard for the truth — a standard that courts have historically applied with rigor.
Continue reading at NYT > Business.
