US judge dismisses Trump defamation suit against Wall Street Journal

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www.bbc.com/news/articles/c995j57xepmo

A US judge has dismissed a case against the publisher of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) over a story about ties the US president had to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump sued the American newspaper and its owners including Rupert Murdoch in a Florida federal court last summer, asking for at least $10bn (£7.4bn) in damages.

The president claimed the newspaper defamed him in a 17 July report that said Trump’s name was in a “birthday book” given to Epstein in 2003. In that message, the Journal reported, Trump included a drawing of a woman’s body.

Trump’s lawyer told CBS News, the BBC’s US news partner, that the president will refile the “powerhouse” suit.

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I mean, reporting the facts of a criminal case is the most basic function of journalism

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Funny that. It’s almost like CBS & ABC wanted to just give money to POTUS instead of being afraid they would lose if it went before a judge.

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I lose so much respect for anyone that gives in to trump. If your work is accurate and true, stand by it, and don’t give money to the christofascist grifters.

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US District Judge Darrin Gayles said Trump came “nowhere close” to showing the WSJ acted with actual malice towards him, which is the threshold for defamation cases in the US.

The standard for “actual malice” in defamation cases is that the plaintiff must prove that a public statement was both false, and that the news organisation or individual who made the statement knew or should have known that it was false or acted in reckless disregard of its falsity.

Murdoch vs Trump? Let them fight.

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Too bad mutual annihilation isn’t a likely outcome.

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Oh no how unfortunate.

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