Trump’s Epstein defamation suit dismissed without prejudice; judge gives him until April 27 to amend
Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation complaint over reporting tied to Jeffrey Epstein hit an early procedural wall in federal court in South Florida. On April 13, Judge Darrin P. Gayles dismissed the initial filing without prejudice and gave Trump until April 27 to submit an amended complaint.
The lawsuit centers on reporting about a 2003 birthday album prepared for Epstein’s 50th birthday and a sexually suggestive note that was said to carry Trump’s signature. Trump has denied that the note is authentic. The dismissal does not decide that factual dispute; it means the court found the first complaint was not adequately pleaded.
The order leaves Trump with a chance to try again, but only if his lawyers can file a version that meets the court’s requirements. For now, the case is not over, but the first complaint cannot proceed as written.
The dispute has also pushed Trump into another fight over one of the most politically sensitive episodes surrounding Epstein. His lawyers will now have to decide whether to narrow the claims, add supporting allegations, or risk losing the case at the pleading stage altogether.
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