A federal judge on Saturday threw out US President Donald Trump's multibillion-dollar lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch over a story reporting on his ties to wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein.
US District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami dismissed the suit with prejudice, ruling that the president did not prove the defendants made defamatory statements with actual malice.
The lawsuit was over a story the Journal published last year describing a sexually suggestive letter that the paper said bore Trump's name and was included in a 2003 album compiled for Epstein's 50th birthday.
The letter revealed by The Wall Street Journal was reportedly collected by disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell as part of a birthday album for Epstein years before the wealthy financier was first arrested in 2006 and subsequently had a falling-out with Trump.
The letter bearing Trump's name includes text framed by the outline of what appears to be a hand-drawn naked woman and ends with, "Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret," according to the newspaper.
Trump denied writing the letter and promised to sue. He said he spoke to both to the paper's owner, Rupert Murdoch, and its top editor, Emma Tucker, before the story was published and told them the letter was "fake."
"These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures," the president insisted.
The outlet described the contents of the letter but did not publish a photo showing it entirely or provide details on how it came to learn about it.
(This is a developing story)
