{"id":864216,"date":"2025-07-22T19:11:42","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T00:11:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/22\/trump-epstein-lawsuit-why-wall-street-journal-defamation-case-could-backfire-in-discovery\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T19:11:42","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T00:11:42","slug":"trump-epstein-lawsuit-why-wall-street-journal-defamation-case-could-backfire-in-discovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/22\/trump-epstein-lawsuit-why-wall-street-journal-defamation-case-could-backfire-in-discovery\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Epstein Lawsuit: Why Wall Street Journal Defamation Case Could Backfire In Discovery"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Topline<\/h2>\n

President Donald Trump formally sued<\/a> The Wall Street Journal and News Corp founder Rupert Murdoch on Friday for publishing a piece making allegations about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein\u2014but the effort could ultimately work against Trump\u2019s interests by forcing him to turn over information about his relationship with the disgraced financier.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Donald Trump, now-wife Melania Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at … More<\/span> Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on February 12, 2000.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/fbs-accordion>Getty Images<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Key Facts<\/h2>\n
\n

Trump sued<\/a> The Wall Street Journal, Murdoch and the journalists who wrote the story<\/a> about a \u201cbawdy\u201d letter Trump allegedly sent Epstein for his 50th birthday, which reportedly included a drawing of a naked woman and Trump telling Epstein, \u201cHappy Birthday \u2014 and may every day be another wonderful secret.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president alleges the newspaper and its employees defamed him by publishing the story, which Trump maintains is false, and by \u201cfalsely represent[ing]\u201d the letter \u201cas fact,\u201d with Trump claiming the reporters and Murdoch reported on the letter despite knowing it didn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n

The Journal is likely to next ask the court to dismiss the lawsuit, but if that request gets rejected and the case moves forward, it will then go to discovery, meaning both Trump and the Journal can seek evidence from the other party that could help their case.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s \u201creasonable\u201d to expect the \u201cJournal would then seek information from Trump about the nature of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein,\u201d Katie Fallow, deputy litigation director at the Knight First Amendment Institute, told Forbes, noting that could include any communications Trump had with Epstein or records detailing their friendship.<\/p>\n

The specific information the Journal could seek will likely depend on the claims it makes in its court filings in the case\u2014which haven\u2019t been submitted yet\u2014Fallow said, but noted the \u201cgeneral rule\u201d in defamation cases is that parties \u201ccan seek discovery of anything that is relevant to a claim or defense raised in a proceeding in a lawsuit.\u201d<\/p>\n

That means depending on the claims the Journal makes in its defense, any evidence it tries to get from Trump in discovery \u201ccould go broader than just about this letter\u201d and provide additional information about the president and Epstein\u2019s relationship, Fallow said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Crucial Quote<\/h2>\n

\u201cI would think that [the Journal\u2019s] attorneys \u2026 would say we want to, in order to determine whether anything here was false, see the context of the relationship between Trump\u201d and Epstein, Fallow told Forbes about what evidence the newspaper could try to get during the discovery phase. \u201cBut it would sort of really depend on the specific request.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Has The Wall Street Journal Said?<\/h2>\n

The Wall Street Journal and Murdoch have not commented at all on whether they intend to pursue broad discovery against Trump in the case, and have not yet submitted any court filings detailing their legal arguments. A spokesperson for the Journal\u2019s parent company Dow Jones said in a statement<\/a> the company \u201c[has] full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting\u201d and \u201cwill vigorously defend against any lawsuit.\u201d<\/p>\n

How Long Will The Defamation Case Take To Play Out?<\/h2>\n

If the lawsuit goes to the discovery phase, it will likely take years to play out and for any documents to become public. The case could also then go to trial after the discovery phase concludes, with Trump\u2019s complaint requesting a jury trial to determine whether or not he was defamed. That being said, the litigation could also be resolved more quickly, if the court decides the case should be dismissed or the Journal reaches a settlement with Trump.<\/p>\n

Big Number<\/h2>\n

$10 billion. That\u2019s how much Trump is asking the Wall Street Journal to pay in damages if he wins the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

What Does Trump\u2019s Letter To Epstein Allegedly Say?<\/h2>\n

According to the Journal\u2019s reporting, Trump\u2019s birthday letter to Epstein features dialogue for an imagined conversation between Trump and Epstein, saying:<\/p>\n

\u201cVoice Over: There must be more to life than having everything.<\/p>\n

Donald: Yes, there is, but I won\u2019t tell you what it is.<\/p>\n

Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is. <\/p>\n

Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey. <\/p>\n

Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it. <\/p>\n

Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that? <\/p>\n

Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you. <\/p>\n

Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday \u2014 and may every day be another wonderful secret.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Journal did not publish the letter in full, and Trump has strongly denied its existence and that he drew the accompanying drawing, saying he \u201cnever wrote a picture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Surprising Fact<\/h2>\n

Trump\u2019s defamation lawsuit comes after Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell previously sued Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre for defamation. That lawsuit led to a slew of documents<\/a> regarding Epstein and others he associated with becoming public, after the Miami Herald successfully petitioned the court to have documents unsealed. Julie K. Brown, the Herald journalist who first uncovered the allegations against Epstein, noted<\/a> the parallels between the two cases, writing on social media Friday, \u201cWe sued to unseal the docs that revealed the extent of Epstein & Maxwell\u2019s sex trafficking operation. The lawsuit by Trump opens the door to learning the extent of his friendship with Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will Evidence In Trump\u2019s Defamation Case Become Public?<\/h2>\n

While any evidence that gets filed in the defamation case is likely to be filed under seal, meaning it\u2019s not available for the public to view, parties including the Journal or other media organizations could ask the court to unseal the documents and make them public. Federal law favors such information being in the public interest unless parties can prove there\u2019s a compelling reason for it to remain under seal, such as protecting trade secrets, The New York Times notes<\/a>,, and media outlets have sought to unseal records in cases that are particularly high-profile, citing public interest in the case. That\u2019s what happened in Maxwell\u2019s case against Giuffre, as well as in voting machine company Dominion Voting Systems\u2019 defamation lawsuit against Fox News. Numerous documents detailing alleged conversations between Fox News executives and journalists were publicly released<\/a> as part of that case in 2023, after The Times and other media outlets asked<\/a> the court to unseal them.<\/p>\n

Key Background<\/h2>\n

The Journal\u2019s report on the alleged letter comes as Trump is increasingly coming under renewed controversy over his relationship with Epstein<\/a>, who was accused of sexually assaulting more than 100 women and died in prison in 2019. Trump was known to be friends with Epstein during the 1990s and early 2000s, telling<\/a> New York Magazine in 2002, \u201cI\u2019ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy.\u201d \u201cHe\u2019s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side,\u201d Trump said. The president then reportedly had a falling out with Epstein after a 2004 real estate dispute, and he has never been accused of any sexual misconduct in connection with Epstein. Public fascination in Epstein\u2019s case has kept up since the financier\u2019s death because of Epstein\u2019s associations with high-profile figures such as Trump and President Bill Clinton\u2014who has also not been accused of any wrongdoing\u2014while key Trump allies like now-FBI Director Kash Patel have pushed conspiracy theories for years alleging a government \u201ccover-up\u201d of the FBI\u2019s full files on Epstein\u2019s case. Justice Department officials in the Trump administration, including Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, long promised they would release the Epstein files, but the DOJ abruptly reversed course earlier this month. The agency released a memo saying no further files would be released, also shooting down popular conspiracy theories about the case, such as the existence of an Epstein \u201cclient list.\u201d That sparked a widespread backlash<\/a> from Trump\u2019s base, who have called for Bondi to resign, and intensified scrutiny on Trump, who has tried to downplay<\/a> the Epstein claims as a \u201choax.\u201d<\/p>\n

Further Reading<\/h2>\n

Forbes<\/span>Here\u2019s Every Known Link Between Trump And Epstein: From \u2018Little Black Book\u2019 To Plane Rides<\/span>By Sara Dorn<\/span><\/small><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Forbes<\/span>FBI Agents Told To \u2018Flag\u2019 Epstein Files Mentioning Trump, Senator Claims<\/span>By Alison Durkee<\/span><\/small><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Forbes<\/span>Trump Sues Rupert Murdoch, Dow Jones Over WSJ Story Linking Him To Jeffrey Epstein<\/span>By Siladitya Ray<\/span><\/small><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Forbes<\/span>Trump Rips \u2018Weaklings\u2019 Who Criticized Handling Of Epstein Files\u2014Calls It \u2018Big Hoax\u2019<\/span>By Sara Dorn<\/span><\/small><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Alison Durkee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Topline President Donald Trump formally sued The Wall Street Journal and News Corp founder Rupert Murdoch on Friday for publishing a piece making allegations about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein\u2014but the effort could ultimately work against Trump\u2019s interests by forcing him to turn over information about his relationship with the disgraced financier. Donald Trump, now-wife<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":864217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-864216","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-epstein","8":"category-trump"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=864216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864216\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/864217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=864216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=864216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=864216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}