The Daily Fuckup

U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles in the Southern District of Florida dismissed Donald Trump’s defamation complaint against The Wall Street Journal and related defendants on April 13, 2026, but he did not shut the case down for good. The order dismissed the suit without prejudice and gave Trump until April 27, 2026, to file an amended complaint. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/40e7aba7731db9e8800488038cb92a66?utm_source=openai))

The court’s problem with the filing was pleading, not proof. Gayles found that the complaint did not plausibly allege actual malice, the showing public figures need in defamation cases, and said Trump could try again if his lawyers can rework the claims. That keeps the dispute alive for now, but only if the next version clears the legal bar the judge identified. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/40e7aba7731db9e8800488038cb92a66?utm_source=openai))

Trump filed the lawsuit in July 2025 after the newspaper published reporting about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, including a claim that a birthday book for Epstein contained a lewd letter bearing Trump’s name. In a social media post after the ruling, Trump said the order was not the end of the case and said he would refile by the court’s deadline. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/40e7aba7731db9e8800488038cb92a66?utm_source=openai))