Judge tosses Trump's Wall Street Journal lawsuit over Epstein letter for good

A federal judge in Miami dismissed with prejudice President Trump's lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, News Corp and Rupert Murdoch over a story about a birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein, meaning it cannot be refiled.

A federal judge in Miami on Saturday dismissed President Donald Trump's lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal with prejudice, meaning the president cannot amend or refile the case over the paper's reporting on a birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein. U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles had thrown out an earlier version of the suit in April, finding that Trump's lawyers had not met the legal bar for their claims.

The lawsuit targeted a Journal story published last year describing a sexually suggestive letter that the paper said bore Trump's name and was included in an album compiled for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003. Trump called the story "FAKE" and sued for $20 billion, naming the newspaper, its parent company News Corp, News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson, the reporters who wrote the story and Rupert Murdoch.

The News Corp building at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in New York, home of The Wall Street Journal

House lawmakers later subpoenaed and obtained a redacted version of the birthday book from Epstein's estate, which included the letter at the center of the case. The White House insisted at the time that Trump did not draw the picture or sign the letter.

A person familiar with Trump's legal strategy said the decision will likely be appealed.

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