Federal Judge Tosses Trump’s $15 Billion Lawsuit Against New York Times

A federal judge in Florida tossed President Donald Trump’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times on Friday.

Trump sued the Times for defamation for allegedly attempting to undermine his character and his 2024 presidential candidacy with “actual malice.” U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday, a George H.W. Bush appointee, ruled that the president’s lawsuit was full of “tedious and burdensome” language and ordered his legal team to resubmit an amended version of the complaint.

“A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally,” Merryday wrote. “This action will begin, will continue, and will end in accord with the rules of procedure and in a professional and dignified manner.”

The judge said Trump must submit an amended version in 28 days that consists of no more than 40 pages.

Merryday cited a rule called the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which requires a plaintiff to submit “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to re-lief,” according to the ruling. He wrote that the 85-page lawsuit violated that rule by only alleging “two simple counts of defamation.”

The judge further said that many of the claims in the lawsuit were “improper and impermissible,” including the assertion that Trump won the 2024 election “in historic fashion” and that the Times engaged in “persistent election interference.”

Trump alleged in the initial lawsuit