{"id":3832,"date":"2026-05-28T10:39:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T10:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/28\/trump-refiles-10bn-lawsuit-against-wsj-over-report-on-alleged-epstein-ties\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T10:39:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T10:39:55","slug":"trump-refiles-10bn-lawsuit-against-wsj-over-report-on-alleged-epstein-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=3832","title":{"rendered":"Trump refiles $10bn lawsuit against WSJ over report on alleged Epstein ties"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"6d147159-0833-45a4-91f3-6e40b4c1b956\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Head and shoulders shot of Trump, eyes closed\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/f5a31aa564cbe7d09c0a1cc028830bcdd0613212\/0_0_4487_3589\/master\/4487.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"371.93782036995765\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Donald Trump attending a cabinet meeting at the White House on the same day his lawyers refiled a defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal.<\/span> Photograph: Win McNamee\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"6d147159-0833-45a4-91f3-6e40b4c1b956\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Donald Trump attending a cabinet meeting at the White House on the same day his lawyers refiled a defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal.<\/span> Photograph: Win McNamee\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Trump refiles $10bn lawsuit against WSJ over report on alleged Epstein ties<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Legal action claims newspaper tarnished reputation by describing card to Jeffrey Epstein as bearing his signature<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Donald Trump has refiled a defamation lawsuit seeking at least $10bn in damages against the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/wallstreetjournal\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Wall Street Journal<\/a> over its reporting on his alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein, after a judge threw out an earlier version over legal deficiencies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The lawsuit is one of several the US president has brought in his personal capacity against news organisations and is part of what critics say is a wider pressure campaign against the media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Trump\u2019s lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, claimed the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper tarnished his reputation with an article describing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/sep\/08\/trump-epstein-birthday-letter\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">a birthday card to the disgraced financier and sex offender Epstein<\/a> as bearing Trump\u2019s signature. Trump and his lawyers said the card was fake, even after it was released by lawmakers investigating Epstein\u2019s case.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Trump is seeking at least $10bn in damages, according to the amended lawsuit. He had sought the same amount previously.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cAt the time of publication, defendants recklessly disregarded whether the defamatory statements were true and\/or they purposefully avoided the discovery of the truth,\u201d lawyers for Trump wrote in the amended complaint.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The lawsuit, filed in Miami federal court, names Rupert Murdoch, Dow Jones, News Corp and its CEO, Robert Thomson, along with two Wall Street Journal reporters, Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo, as defendants, saying they defamed Trump and caused him to suffer \u201coverwhelming\u201d financial and reputational harm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Dow Jones has said it has full confidence in the rigour and accuracy of the WSJ\u2019s reporting and will vigorously defend the lawsuit.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"4ebceb48-e25b-4607-9c87-a1fa5765b111\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Epstein and Ttump posed for picture together\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/b9b8039600f6a03b057c969340b192043c8db15b\/0_591_3588_2392\/master\/3588.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.66666666666663\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"4ebceb48-e25b-4607-9c87-a1fa5765b111\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Jeffrey Epstein (left) and Donald Trump at the Mar-a-Lago estate, Palm Beach, Florida in February 1997. <\/span> Photograph: Davidoff Studios Photography\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019. His case generated conspiracy theories that became popular among Trump\u2019s base of supporters, who believed the government was covering up Epstein\u2019s ties to the rich and powerful. Trump has said he parted ways with Epstein before the financier\u2019s legal troubles became public in 2006.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The US district court judge Darrin P Gayles, an appointee of the former president Barack Obama, threw out Trump\u2019s first complaint in April. The judge found Trump had not met the \u201cactual malice\u201d legal standard for public figures in defamation cases, which requires evidence that a defendant published a statement that they knew or should have known was false.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Trump has also filed defamation and other lawsuits against other media organisations, including the New York Times, the BBC and Iowa\u2019s Des Moines Register. Those outlets have denied wrongdoing and are fighting the cases in court.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The Trump administration has acted to restrict press access to government agencies and threatened to use regulatory powers against critical outlets, drawing legal challenges by media organisations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/jeffrey-epstein\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Jeffrey Epstein<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/media\/wallstreetjournal\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Wall Street Journal<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/media\/newspapers\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Newspapers<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/media\/pressandpublishing\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Newspapers &amp; magazines<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/media\/us-press-publishing\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US press and publishing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Trump%20refiles%20%2410bn%20lawsuit%20against%20WSJ%20over%20report%20on%20alleged%20Epstein%20ties&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/28\/trump-refiles-10bn-lawsuit-against-wsj-over-report-on-alleged-epstein-ties?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F28%2Ftrump-refiles-10bn-lawsuit-against-wsj-over-report-on-alleged-epstein-ties&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/28\/trump-refiles-10bn-lawsuit-against-wsj-over-report-on-alleged-epstein-ties\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Donald Trump attending a cabinet meeting at the White House on the same day his lawyers refiled a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":3834,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3832\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}