In the ruling, US District Judge Darrin P. Gayles in Florida stated that Trump had not proven the piece was published with malicious intent, but he did offer the president an opportunity to submit a revised complaint.
A few hours after the judgment, Trump claimed in a social media post that it “is not a termination” but rather a “suggested re-filing” of his “powerful case,” which will be completed “on or before April 27th.” After the newspaper published an article detailing a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper claimed bore Trump’s signature and was included in a 2003 album put together for Epstein’s 50th birthday, Trump made a vow to sue the publication almost immediately. Trump filed the lawsuit in July.
Congress later made the letter public and demanded Epstein’s estate’s papers. Trump called the piece “false, malicious, and defamatory” and denied drafting it. The judge stated that “whether President Trump was the author of the Letter or Epstein’s friend are questions of fact that cannot be determined at this stage of the litigation,” despite the newspaper’s and Murdoch’s attorneys’ requests that Gayles rule that the article’s claims were true and therefore couldn’t be defamatory.
The decision represents yet another setback in the Trump administration’s attempts to control the consequences from the Epstein papers’ release and the president’s attempts to utilize the judicial system to stifle criticism of him.
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