Overview
- President Trump refiled the $10 billion lawsuit in Miami federal court on Wednesday, naming Rupert Murdoch, Dow Jones, News Corp, CEO Robert Thomson and reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo.
- The suit repeats Trump’s claim that a July 2025 Journal story falsely said he sent a lewd 2003 birthday card to Jeffrey Epstein and argues reporters published without sufficient proof or verification.
- Trump’s lawyers cite Ghislaine Maxwell’s interview statements and other alleged reporting gaps to try to show the Journal acted with "actual malice," the high legal bar public figures must meet in defamation cases.
- A federal judge dismissed Trump’s first complaint in April for failing to plausibly allege actual malice and already limited discovery into reporters’ newsgathering before this amended filing.
- Dow Jones says it will vigorously defend the reporting, and press advocates warn the case is part of a broader pattern of high-dollar suits by the president that could pressure newsroom practices and free‑press litigation norms.