Trump asks court to urgently depose 94-yo Murdoch in defamation lawsuit due to age
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The news: US President Donald Trump has asked a US court to order an expedited deposition of Rupert Murdoch in his USD10 billion ($15.35 billion) defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, citing the 94-year-old’s age and history of serious health issues.
Citing a court filing, Reuters reported Trump’s lawyers said Murdoch should be deposed within 15 days because he “has suffered, but thankfully overcome, multiple health issues throughout his life” and would likely be unable to appear in person at trial.
The context: The lawsuit, filed 18 July in the Southern District of Florida, accuses the Journal, its publisher Dow Jones, parent company News Corp, and two reporters of defamation over an article published a day earlier that said Trump sent Jeffrey Epstein a 2003 birthday letter with a sexually suggestive drawing and a reference to secrets they shared.
The article was published amid renewed scrutiny of Trump’s past friendship with Epstein and criticism over the Justice Department’s decision not to release additional documents from its investigation into the disgraced financier.
Trump is seeking USD10 billion in damages and a ruling that the article’s claims were false and defamatory.
What they said: According to the court filing on Monday, Trump's lawyers said Trump told Murdoch before the article was published that the letter referenced in the story was fake, and Murdoch told Trump he would "take care of it."
The motion not only says that Murdoch was involved in discussions about the article, but that as the director and majority owner of News Corp, he “sits in the unique position of having readily available all documents, communications, and other information related to the article and the decision to publish it.”
Judge Darrin Gayles has ordered Murdoch to respond by 4 August.
A Dow Jones spokeswoman said the Journal stands by its reporting and will vigorously defend against the lawsuit.
Legal experts cited by Reuters say Trump must prove the article was false and that the defendants knew or should have known it was false, a high bar under the “actual malice” standard.
The source: Reuters
