(WASHINGTON) — The Wall Street Journal and its parent companies, Dow Jones and News Corp., on Monday moved to dismiss President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit over the paper’s July article reporting on an alleged letter from Trump that was included in a 50th birthday book for the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.
The motion contends that the article is true.
“The Birthday Book as produced by the Epstein estate and later publicly released by the House Oversight Committee contains a letter identical to the one described in the Article,” the motion states.
The motion further contends that the article is not defamatory, arguing that “there is nothing defamatory about a person sending a bawdy note to a friend, and the Article cannot damage Plaintiff’s reputation as a matter of law.”
“The Complaint should be dismissed with prejudice, and the Court should award Defendants their reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs,” the motion states.
Trump filed the lawsuit in July in federal court in Florida, seeking damages of at least $10 billion.
The president has argued that the letter is fake and that the signature on the letter is not his.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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