A judge has dismissed Donald Trump's defamation lawsuit against writer Timothy O'Brien - in which he accused the reporter of libel for claiming his fortune was much less than the tycoon stated.

Last year Trump filed suit against New York Times Sunday business editor O'Brien, alleging the journalist had damaged his reputation in 2005 book TrumpNation: The Art of Being The Donald.

In the tome, O'Brien was told by three separate sources that The Apprentice star is worth between $150 million and $250 million - far less than Trump's own assertions that he is worth billions. Trump's legal team stated that the book was written with "actual malice" and accused O'Brien and publishers Warner Books of being "vicariously liable".

Nevertheless, New Jersey judge Michele Fox has thrown the case out of court, insisting that "O'Brien reasonably believed" his sources "were accurate."

Fox declined to address the issue of damages.

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