qawilUS President Donald Trump has filed a revised version of his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and parent company News Corp over a report linking him to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The updated lawsuit was filed late Wednesday in a federal court in Florida after a judge earlier dismissed the original complaint, ruling that it failed to sufficiently establish “actual malice” — the legal standard required in defamation cases involving public figures.
Lawsuit Centres On Alleged Epstein Birthday Note
The dispute stems from a July 2025 Wall Street Journal article that claimed Trump had sent Epstein a “bawdy” birthday message in 2003.
According to the report, the alleged note was typed inside the outline of a naked woman and signed by Trump in the pubic area. The article said the message ended with the line: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump has repeatedly denied authoring the note and has described it as fake.
Trump Says Newspaper Ignored Truth
In the amended complaint, Trump’s lawyer Alejandro Brito alleged that the defendants either knowingly published false information or recklessly ignored the truth.
“At the time of publication, defendants recklessly disregarded whether the defamatory statements were true and/or they purposefully avoided the discovery of the truth,” the revised lawsuit stated.
The complaint also names Wall Street Journal reporters, publisher Dow Jones & Company and News Corp Chairman Emeritus Rupert Murdoch.
Earlier Lawsuit Was Dismissed
US District Judge Darrin Gayles had dismissed Trump’s original lawsuit in April, saying it “comes nowhere close” to meeting the legal standard for defamation involving public figures.
Under US law, public figures must prove a publication acted with “actual malice,” meaning it either knew the information was false or acted with reckless disregard for whether it was true.
The judge noted that the Wall Street Journal had contacted Trump and other officials for comment before publishing the story, which weakened claims of recklessness.
However, Gayles did not rule on whether the article itself was defamatory or whether Trump had actually written the alleged note.
New Complaint Targets Missing Details In Article
Trump’s revised lawsuit attempts to strengthen the argument that the Wall Street Journal intentionally ignored key facts.
The complaint claims it was a “glaring omission” that the newspaper failed to explain why the alleged note was typed in the third person, who typed it and how the publication obtained it.
The lawsuit also criticises the Wall Street Journal for not publishing an image of the alleged letter alongside the article at the time of publication.
According to Trump’s legal team, the absence of the image and the paper’s handling of the document further support claims of “actual malice.”
Wall Street Journal Defends Reporting
News Corp did not immediately issue a response to the revised filing.
The Wall Street Journal, however, has consistently defended its reporting and previously suggested Trump’s lawsuit was an attempt to intimidate and silence critical media coverage.
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team called the updated complaint a “powerhouse” lawsuit and said the president would continue to hold media organisations accountable for “Fake News and smears.”
Jeffrey Epstein Case Continues To Shadow Public Figures
The renewed legal battle once again places the spotlight on Jeffrey Epstein, whose connections to politicians, business leaders and celebrities have remained under intense scrutiny since his arrest and death in custody in 2019.
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and has sought to distance himself from the financier in recent years.