President Donald Trump’s second attempt to sue the Wall Street Journal was dismissed with prejudice on Saturday, ending his pursuit of a defamation lawsuit over the news outlet’s reporting on his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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The US District Court for the Southern District of Florida held that Trump again did not show actual malice, a requirement for a public figure’s defamation claim. “As with his first attempt, he has failed,” Judge Darrin P. Gayles wrote.
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Gayles highlighted the paper’s “thoughtful and detailed investigation” and reporters’ efforts to seek comment from Trump and other officials before publishing the article. “Grasping at straws, the Amended Complaint attempts to manufacture flaws with the investigation,” Gayles wrote.