Donald Trump’s $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times was dismissed on Friday by a federal judge in Florida. Judge Steven Merryday said the filing, which ran to 85 pages, was overly long and lacked a “plain statement of the claim.” He ordered the president’s legal team to refile within 28 days, with the revised complaint capped at 40 pages. The judge emphasized that legal filings should be concise and not platforms for political messaging, the Financial Times reported.
Trump’s accusations against the Times
Trump filed the lawsuit earlier in the week, accusing the Times of acting as “a full-throated mouthpiece” for the Democratic Party. The suit, which alleged defamation, contained only two direct claims but was filled with long passages of criticism against the paper. It was the fourth multi-billion-dollar lawsuit Trump has filed against a US media company since March 2024, as part of a wider campaign against outlets he says are biased against him.
Response from the New York Times
Meredith Kopit Levien, chief executive of the Times, dismissed the case as “legally baseless” in an interview with the Financial Times. She said Trump was using an “anti-press playbook” similar to that of leaders in countries such as Hungary and Turkey. Levien stressed that the Times would not be intimidated and would continue its reporting. The paper has long been one of Trump’s most frequent targets in his clashes with the press.
Broader context of media pressure
The lawsuit comes amid heightened concerns about the Trump administration’s approach to the media. Earlier this week, Disney-owned ABC suspended late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after he criticized conservatives in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing. The move was seen by critics as bowing to pressure from Trump and his allies, raising fears of censorship. Brendan Carr, head of the Federal Communications Commission, warned that Kimmel’s comments represented a “very, very serious issue” for Disney and suggested a regulatory review could follow.
Judge’s criticism of Trump’s filing
In his ruling, Judge Merryday took particular issue with the tone and length of Trump’s filing. He said the complaint forced readers to “labour through allegations” that were repetitive and filled with “laudatory but superfluous” claims. He reminded Trump’s lawyers that a complaint is not a forum for invective or public relations but must clearly outline specific legal grievances. By ordering the complaint to be shortened, the court left open the possibility that the case could proceed if refiled in proper form.
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