A federal judge in Florida has dismissed President Donald Trump’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, ruling the 85-page complaint was bloated, irrelevant, and far beyond acceptable legal limits.
US District Judge Steven Merryday said the filing was full of tedious and burdensome language that had no bearing on the legal case, noting that the defamation count didn’t appear until page 80. He gave Trump 28 days to refile, limiting the complaint to 40 pages.
“A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally,” Merryday wrote in his order. “This action will begin, will continue, and will end in accord with the rules of procedure and in a professional and dignified manner.”
The Associated Press reported that The New York Times welcomed the ruling. “We welcome the judge’s quick ruling, which recognised that the complaint was a political document rather than a serious legal filing,” said spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander.
Trump’s lawsuit had named four Times journalists, citing a book and several articles about his business career, finances, and ties to television producer Mark Burnett. The filing attacked claims that Burnett turned Trump into a celebrity, alleging the Times ignored his preexisting fame.
Merryday, appointed by former President George H.W. Bush, made clear his patience was limited. “As every lawyer knows (or is presumed to know), a complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective — not a protected platform to rage against an adversary,” he wrote.
Trump previously filed lawsuits against ABC News and CBS News’ 60 Minutes, both of which were settled out of court by their parent companies. In July, he also sued The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch over a report detailing his connections to financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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With inputs from Associated Press