President Donald Trump‘s lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch has reportedly taken a further twist after the pair agreed that the media mogul could delay his deposition until after a dismissal ruling.
Newsweek has contacted the White House and Dow Jones for comment via email outside regular working hours.
Why It Matters
In July, the president sued Murdoch over a Wall Street Journal report that said Trump sent a “bawdy” birthday letter to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. Trump denied the claims and said the letter was “fake” before filing a lawsuit against various connected companies and individuals, including Murdoch and the outlet’s parent company, Dow Jones.
Trump’s legal team previously said Murdoch should be deposed as soon as possible, given his advanced age, adding that he had “suffered recent significant health scares.” However, it appears that Trump and Murdoch have agreed that the deposition can wait. If the case is not dismissed, it could be months until either 94-year-old Murdoch or Trump, 79, are deposed.
What To Know
Josh Gerstein, Politico’s senior legal affairs reporter, broke the news of the delayed deposition late on Monday, sharing on X a link to a newly-filed legal document related to the case.
Gerstein wrote: “Trump & Murdoch cut deal postponing Murdoch deposition in $20B libel case re Epstein letter until after WSJ’s forthcoming motion to dismiss. Barring health issues, neither Murdoch nor Trump will be deposed for months.”
The court filing—a “joint stipulation” regarding Trump’s motion to compel an expedited deposition of Murdoch—said the president agreed to “abate his pending motion” and that both parties agreed “not to engage in discovery” until the motion to dismiss the case was adjudicated. At that point, if the case is not dismissed, then Murdoch’s deposition will occur within 30 days.
In the filing, Trump’s legal team requested regular updates from Murdoch about his “current health condition” in case of any changes that would necessitate an earlier deposition.
The document also said Murdoch had “agreed to provide regularly scheduled updates to the Plaintiff regarding his health” and that failure to do so would result in an expedited deposition.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump, addressing the Wall Street Journal report, wrote on Truth Social in July: “The Wall Street Journal, and Rupert Murdoch, personally, were warned directly by President Donald J. Trump that the supposed letter they printed by President Trump to Epstein was a FAKE and, if they print it, they will be sued. Mr. Murdoch stated that he would take care of it but, obviously, did not have the power to do so. The Editor of The Wall Street Journal, Emma Tucker, was told directly by Karoline Leavitt, and by President Trump, that the letter was a FAKE, but Emma Tucker didn’t want to hear that. Instead, they are going with a false, malicious, and defamatory story anyway.”
A Dow Jones spokesperson said in response to the president’s legal challenge: “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”
What Happens Next
The dismissal motion is set to decide whether the lawsuit moves forward. If it is denied, “Murdoch’s deposition shall occur in person, at a mutually agreed upon location in the United States, and no later than thirty (30) calendar days” after the denial, the court filing said.
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