Judge Tosses Trump’s $15B Lawsuit Against New York Times, Citing Improper Content

Judge Tosses Trump’s $15B Lawsuit Against New York Times, Citing Improper Content

Federal court rules complaint is “decidedly improper and impermissible,” orders rewrite in professional, concise form.

AuthorStaff WriterSep 22, 2025, 7:57 AM

 

A federal judge dismissed US President Donald Trump’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, four reporters, and publisher Penguin Random House, calling the filing a “decidedly improper and impermissible” attempt to attack his critics.

 

U.S District Judge Steven Merryday, based in Tampa, Florida, said Trump’s 85-page complaint violated federal civil procedure rules by failing to include a short and plain statement of why he should prevail. Instead, the filing was “too long and burdensome,” and filled with attacks on political opponents, praise of Trump’s own achievements, and even defenses of his late father, Fred Trump.

 

“A complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective -- not a protected platform to rage against an adversary,” Judge Merryday wrote. “A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally.”

 

The judge gave Trump 28 days to submit an amended complaint, limited to 40 pages, in a “professional and dignified manner.”

 

Trump’s legal team responded that the president “will continue to hold the Fake News accountable through this powerhouse lawsuit” against the New York Times, its reporters, and Penguin Random House, following the court’s instructions.

 

A spokesperson for the Times welcomed the ruling, noting it recognised the original complaint as “a political document rather than a serious legal filing.” Penguin Random House also praised the dismissal, citing the judge’s description of the complaint as improper.

 

Trump’s lawsuit targeted three articles and a book by Times reporters, alleging the defendants defamed him ahead of the 2024 presidential election to undermine his campaign and damage his reputation as a businessman. In his complaint, Trump described the defendants as “baselessly hate(ing) President Trump in a deranged way” and criticised the Times as “deranged” for endorsing Democrat Kamala Harris.

 

Friday’s order was an unusual public rebuke of a sitting president over the tone and decorum of his legal filing. Merryday emphasised that plaintiffs are expected to “fairly, precisely, directly, soberly, and economically” state their claims. “Although lawyers receive a modicum of expressive latitude in pleading the claim of a client,” he wrote, “the complaint in this action extends far beyond the outer bound of that latitude.”

 

Trump’s legal team has been involved in multiple high-profile cases. One lawyer also represents him in a $10 billion defamation suit against Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal, while two others helped secure a $16 million settlement in July with CBS News’ parent company, Paramount Global, over an edited “60 Minutes” interview with Harris.

 

 

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