A US federal judge on Friday threw out a $15 billion defamation lawsuit filed by US President against the New York Times due to the language in the complaint constituting a “decidedly improper and impermissible” effort to attack political adversaries.
Trump against the newspaper in a Florida court on Monday, alleging three articles and a book by two reporters attempted to undermine his 2024 presidential campaign. The suit adds to the growing number of legal actions from organizations he claims are biased against him.
What did the judge say?
US District Judge Steven Merryday ruled that Trump’s lawsuit was too long at 85 pages, and full of “tedious and burdensome” language that had no bearing on the legal merits 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.
The judge did not rule on the legal merits of Trump’s case, instead giving lawyers 28 days to file an amended complaint “in a professional and dignified manner” that should not exceed 40 pages.
Trump’s complaint also violated procedure by failing to include a statement that “fairly, precisely, directly, soberly, and economically” tell defendants in complaints why they are being sued.
The newspaper on Friday welcomed the “judge’s quick ruling” as recognizing “that the complaint was a political document rather than a serious legal filing.”
After the complaint was filed earlier in the week, the Times said it lacked “any legitimate legal claims and instead is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting.”
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar
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