Federal judge dismisses Trump’s $15bn defamation lawsuit against NYT

Complaint not a ‘megaphone for PR’, says Judge Merryday, who deemed long-winded contented ‘tedious and burdensome’.

A Florida national justice has thrown retired Donald Trump’s $15bn defamation lawsuit against The New York Times implicit its length.

United States District Judge Steven Merryday ruled that Trump’s ailment implicit a publication and an nonfiction written by Times reporters Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig was overly agelong and afloat of “tedious and burdensome” language.

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He gave the president 28 days to record an amended ailment of nary much than 40 pages.

A ailment should “fairly, precisely, directly, soberly, and economically pass the defendants … of the quality and contented of the claims,” Merryday wrote successful his four-page order.

“A ailment is not a megaphone for nationalist relations oregon a podium for a passionate oration astatine a governmental rally,” helium continued.

Trump is suing implicit a publication and an nonfiction focusing connected his finances and his pre-presidency starring relation successful television’s The Apprentice.

Trump said successful the suit that the 2 reporters “maliciously peddled the fact-free narrative” that tv shaper Mark Burnett turned Trump into a celebrity.

He said they had done this “even though astatine and anterior to the clip of publications defendants knew that President Trump was already a mega-celebrity and an tremendous occurrence successful business”.

The suit besides attacked claims the reporters made astir Trump’s aboriginal concern dealings and his father, Fred, and cited an nonfiction by Peter Baker, published by the Times connected October 20, 2024, and headlined, For Trump, a Lifetime of Scandals Heads Toward a Moment of Judgment.

“This enactment volition begin, volition continue, and volition extremity successful accord with the rules of process and successful a nonrecreational and dignified manner,” said Merryday.

The White House and Trump’s lawyers did not instantly respond to requests for comment.