A US judge dismissed Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Wall Street Journalwith prejudice on Saturday, according to a court filing, bringing an end to his legal challenge over the newspaper’s reporting on his alleged birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein.

The decision follows an earlier dismissal in April that had allowed Trump to revise his complaint. As of Saturday, the case is dismissed with prejudice, meaning the lawsuit cannot be amended or refiled.

The case stemmed from a Wall Street Journal article alleging that Trump had sent a “bawdy” letter to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. Trump denied the letter was real, insisting instead it had been fabricated.

Throughout the proceedings, the court repeatedly pointed to the newspaper’s efforts to obtain Trump’s response before publication and its inclusion of his direct denials as evidence that it had followed appropriate reporting standards.

Judge Darrin P Gayles issued the final dismissal on Saturday after determining that Trump’s amended complaint still failed to establish “actual malice”, the high legal threshold public figures must meet when pursuing defamation claims.

“As President Trump has not plausibly alleged that each Defendant made defamatory statements with actual malice, the Amended Complaint must be dismissed,” the ruling said. “And because this is President Trump’s second attempt to allege his claims, the Court finds that dismissal with prejudice is appropriate.”

Trump, who has frequently pursued legal action against media organizations both during and outside his time in the White House, has maintained that the lewd drawing described in the Journal’s report was fake.

A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team shared a statement following the ruling: “President Trump will continue to press forward in his powerhouse lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and all of the other defendants. The President will continue to hold those who mislead the American People with Fake News and smears accountable for their actions.”

Read More: Judge dismisses Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday letter