Judge Tosses Trump's $10B Defamation Suit Against Murdoch and WSJ for Good

A federal judge in Florida slammed the door on President Donald Trump's defamation case against Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal — and locked it this time. Judge Darrin Gayles dismissed Trump's amended lawsuit with prejudice on Saturday, meaning the president cannot refile another version in the district court. His only remaining path is an appeal.

The ruling lands roughly six months after Gayles first threw out the $10 billion suit against Murdoch and the newspaper he owns. At the center of it: a Journal story describing a "bawdy" 50th birthday letter Trump allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. Trump has adamantly denied sending the letter to his then-friend.

Gayles leaned on the same logic as round one. Public figures like Trump have to show a defendant acted with actual malice, and the judge found he hadn't come close. "As with his first attempt, he has failed," Gayles wrote. "Grasping at straws, the Amended Complaint attempts to manufacture flaws with the investigation."

Trump's amended case, filed in Miami federal court, did bring fresh material. Among the new claims: that Murdoch told Trump "I will handle it" during a phone call about the article, according to Newsweek. It wasn't enough to survive.

A spokesman for Trump's legal team isn't backing down, saying the president "will continue to press forward in his powerhouse lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and all of the other defendants" and will keep holding those who push what he calls Fake News accountable.

With the district court option closed, appellate review is now the play. This is breaking news — more updates as they come.