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Monday morning brought a minor legal hiccup for former President Donald Trump, as a federal judge in Florida decided to dismiss his defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and associated parties. Notably, this dismissal was “without prejudice,” allowing Trump the opportunity to revise and resubmit his complaint if he chooses to pursue the matter further.
For context, this legal battle began in July when Trump filed a lawsuit against the WSJ and several individuals or entities connected to it. The lawsuit was prompted by an investigative piece published by the Journal, which claimed its reporters had reviewed a birthday album created for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003 by Ghislaine Maxwell. The album allegedly contained a “bawdy” birthday card from Trump to Epstein. Trump has denied writing the card and subsequently announced his intention to sue the WSJ and Rupert Murdoch, initiating legal action in the Southern District of Florida the following day.
To quickly refresh, in July, Trump sued the WSJ and related individuals/entities for defamation after the Journal ran what was hailed as a damning exposé — claiming that its reporters had seen a birthday album compiled for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday (in 2003) by his partner in crime, Ghislaine Maxwell, which included a “bawdy” birthday card from Trump to Epstein. Trump denied having authored the note and followed that up with a statement that he intended to sue the WSJ and Rupert Murdoch over the report, filing the suit in the Southern District of Florida the following day.