Libel Lawsuit News: Where Trump’s Cases Against the NYT, WSJ and BBC Stand
When people search for a libel lawsuit right now, they usually mean one of three federal cases President Trump filed in Florida: $15 billion against The New York Times, $10 billion against The Wall Street Journal and $10 billion against the BBC. As of October 9, 2026, all three are pending, none has gone to trial and none has produced a payment. These are individual lawsuits, not class actions — there is no settlement, no fund and no claim form for readers, subscribers or viewers.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What Each Libel Lawsuit Claims
Libel is defamation in published form — print, broadcast, online. Each of the three suits alleges that a news organization published false statements that damaged the President’s reputation, and each defendant denies it.
New York Times. The lawsuit targets Times articles and the book Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success, published by Penguin Random House.
Wall Street Journal. The lawsuit challenges a July 17, 2025 article about a letter bearing Trump’s name in a 2003 50th-birthday album compiled for Jeffrey Epstein. Trump denies writing it.
BBC. The lawsuit alleges that a Panorama documentary aired on October 28, 2024 edited his January 6, 2021 speech in a misleading way. It pleads defamation and a claim under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. The BBC published a retraction and apology on November 13, 2025 but says there is no viable defamation claim.
Case Details
Trump v. New York Times Company, No. 8:25-cv-02487, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida (Tampa), Judge Steven D. Merryday. Defendants: The New York Times Company, three Times journalists and Penguin Random House.
Trump v. Murdoch (the Wall Street Journal case), No. 1:25-cv-23232, Southern District of Florida (Miami), Judge Darrin P. Gayles. Defendants include Dow Jones, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch and two reporters. Docket.
Trump v. British Broadcasting Corp., No. 1:25-cv-25894, Southern District of Florida (Miami), now before Judge Jeffrey Kuntz after reassignment from Judge Roy K. Altman. Docket.
Status as of October 2026: All Three Pending, No Rulings on the Merits
Wall Street Journal: Judge Gayles dismissed the suit on April 13, 2026, finding it came “nowhere close” to pleading actual malice, but allowed an amended complaint. Trump refiled in late May 2026. On June 10, 2026 the defendants moved to dismiss again, with prejudice, and asked for attorneys’ fees under anti-SLAPP laws. As of October 9, 2026 we found no ruling.
BBC: On August 24, 2026 the BBC moved to dismiss the amended complaint with prejudice, arguing a Florida court has no jurisdiction over a documentary it never aired in the U.S. Judge Altman had earlier set a provisional two-week trial starting February 15, 2027; whether that date survives the reassignment is unclear.
Does Any of This Involve You?
Almost certainly not as a party. All three are one-plaintiff libel lawsuits. There is no class, nobody can join them, and no reader, subscriber or viewer is owed anything whatever the outcome.
If you are thinking about your own libel claim, the same rules apply to you, minus the headlines: you must show a false statement of fact (not opinion), published to others, that harmed your reputation. Private individuals generally need to prove negligence; public figures must prove actual malice. Deadlines are short and set by state law — see our guides to defamation lawsuits, slander and the Missouri defamation deadline, or talk to a defamation lawyer.
What the Damage Demands Really Mean
Some earlier media defendants settled with Trump — CBS parent Paramount among them. The Times, the Journal and the BBC are fighting instead, and the Journal is asking the court to make Trump pay its legal fees. Where damages are awarded in defamation cases, punitive damages are limited by state law; see punitive damages by state.
How cases like this one end
Our copy of the federal courts’ own case database covers 6,426 assault, libel, and slander casesclosed in U.S. federal district courts between 2015 and 2025:
- 16.1% ended in a settlement recorded by the court. Another 14.7% were dismissed voluntarily, which often follows a private settlement — so the real settlement share sits between 16.1% and 30.8%.
- 12.9% were decided on a motion before any trial.
- 1 in 63 reached a trial (1.6%), after a median of 29.5 months.
- Median time from filing to the end of the case: 6.2 months.
- Only 87 of them (1.4%) record a money award at all; the median of those is $429,000.
These are base rates for this type of case (federal assault, libel, and slander cases) — not a prediction about this lawsuit, and not legal advice. Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (civil), analysed by Settlement Insight. Cases heard in state courts are not included.
Libel Lawsuit Timeline
- 1
October 28, 2024 — BBC Airs the Panorama Film
The documentary, made for U.K. audiences, includes the edit of the January 6, 2021 speech at the center of the later lawsuit.
- 2
July 2025 — Wall Street Journal Suit Filed
The Journal publishes its Epstein birthday-letter article on July 17, 2025; Trump sues Dow Jones, Murdoch and others in Miami on July 18.
- 3
September 2025 — New York Times Suit Filed and Struck
Judge Merryday strikes the $15 billion, 85-page complaint and orders a refiling of no more than 40 pages within 28 days.
- 4
December 15, 2025 — BBC Sued, Times Moves to Dismiss
Trump files against the BBC in Miami. The same day, the Times defendants ask the Tampa court to dismiss the amended complaint with prejudice.
- 5
April 13, 2026 — Journal Case Dismissed, With Leave to Refile
Judge Gayles finds no plausible allegation of actual malice. Trump refiles in late May; the Journal moves to dismiss again on June 10, 2026.
- 6
August 2026 — New Filings in the NYT and BBC Cases
Trump files a further amended complaint against the Times; on August 24 the BBC renews its motion to dismiss. As of October 9, 2026 no merits ruling has been reported in any of the three.
Three Things to Watch For
Big-name libel lawsuits with billion-dollar numbers attract the same tricks as class actions:
“Claim your share of the NYT settlement”
There is no settlement in any of these cases, and if one ever happened it would be paid to the plaintiff, not to subscribers. A form asking for your bank details or Social Security number to “register” is phishing.
Fake “verdict” headlines in ads
Sponsored posts styled as news (“BBC ordered to pay $10 billion”) are a common lure for investment and crypto schemes. No verdict exists; check the docket links above before clicking.
“Join the class action against the BBC”
These are individual lawsuits, so there is no class to join and no fee that gets you in. Anyone charging to add you to one is selling nothing.
Libel Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
What is a libel lawsuit?
A civil claim for defamation in a fixed or published form — an article, book, broadcast or post. The plaintiff has to show a false statement of fact about them, published to others, that harmed their reputation, plus the required level of fault. Spoken defamation is slander; see our slander lawsuit guide.
Which libel lawsuits are in the news right now?
The three most-followed U.S. cases are Trump’s suits against The New York Times (No. 8:25-cv-02487, Tampa), The Wall Street Journal (No. 1:25-cv-23232, Miami) and the BBC (No. 1:25-cv-25894, Miami). As of October 9, 2026, all are pending.
Where does Trump v. New York Times stand?
Pending in Tampa before Judge Merryday. The Times has moved to dismiss; in July 2026 the judge deferred ruling and let Trump amend by August 27, and Trump filed the new complaint at the end of August. No ruling had been reported as of October 9, 2026.
Was Trump’s Wall Street Journal lawsuit thrown out?
The first version was, on April 13, 2026 — but with permission to refile. Judge Gayles also declined to decide whether the article was true, calling that a factual dispute. Trump refiled in late May 2026 and the defendants moved on June 10, 2026 to dismiss it permanently.
Is the BBC case going to trial?
Possibly. Judge Altman set a provisional two-week trial from February 15, 2027, but the case has since moved to Judge Kuntz, and the BBC’s August 24, 2026 motion argues the Florida court lacks jurisdiction. The BBC disputes the claim that it streamed the film 34 times to Florida. In August 2026 the court also paused an order requiring Trump’s trust to hand over records on roughly 400 business entities.
Can readers, subscribers or viewers get money from these cases?
No. They are individual libel lawsuits, not class actions. Whatever the outcome, no money goes to the public, and there is nothing to sign up for.
Why are libel lawsuits by public figures so hard to win?
Because a public figure must prove actual malice — that the publisher knew the statement was false or seriously doubted it. Failure to plead that with specific facts is exactly why the first Wall Street Journal complaint was dismissed, and it is the main argument in the Times and BBC motions.
I think I was libeled. What should I do first?
Save the publication with its date and URL, write down who saw it and what it cost you, and check your state’s deadline right away — defamation limitation periods are among the shortest in civil law. Then talk to a defamation lawyer about whether the statement is fact or opinion.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.
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