Donald Trump named in 2009 Epstein accusations and loses discovery bid in WSJ defamation suit

Court documents from a 2009 Palm Beach County lawsuit list former President Donald Trump among more than 50 individuals alleged to have had knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s financial affairs and his sexual interest in minors. The survivor’s attorneys identified Trump as the fifth name, describing his purported awareness of Epstein’s finances and sexual predation.

Separately, Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, in which he claims the newspaper knowingly published false statements about his ties to Epstein, encountered a major procedural setback. U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles barred Trump from using discovery to obtain evidence of actual malice, effectively limiting his ability to pursue the case.