The $15 billion defamation lawsuit filed last Monday by President Trump against Penguin Random House, the New York Times, and four Times reporters was thrown out on Friday by a federal district court judge in Florida, who called the complaint "improper and impermissible" in the form it was submitted, according to the Times. The judge gave Trump 28 days to file an amended complaint.
Judge Steven D. Merryday, appointed by President George H.W. Bush, called the 85-page complaint unnecessarily lengthy and digressive. The Times wrote: "He criticized Mr. Trump's lawyers for waiting until the 80th page to lodge a formal allegation of defamation, and for including, ahead of it, dozens of 'florid and enervating' pages lavishing praise on the president and enumerating a range of grievances... 'A complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective,' Judge Merryday wrote. 'Not a protected platform to rage against an adversary.' " He also called the complaint "tedious and burdensome."
The Times noted that the complaint "digressed into lengthy tributes to Mr. Trump, citing his 'singular brilliance' and describing his 2024 election win as 'the greatest personal and political achievement in American history.' " An amended complaint must be 40 pages or less.
A spokesperson for PRH said, "We applaud the judge's decision, which recognizes and dismisses such an 'improper and impermissible' complaint."
A spokesman for the Times commented: "We welcome the judge's quick ruling, which recognized that the complaint was a political document rather than a serious legal filing."
A spokesman for Trump's legal team said: "President Trump will continue to hold the Fake News accountable through this powerhouse lawsuit against the New York Times, its reporters and Penguin Random House, in accordance with the judge's direction on logistics."
The lawsuit alleges that articles in the Times and a Penguin Press book published by two of the reporters were "specifically designed to try and damage President Trump's business, personal and political reputation" and were timed a year ago "at the height of election season to inflict maximum electoral damage against President Trump."
The Times reporters are Peter Baker, Russ Buettner, Susanne Craig, and Michael S. Schmidt. Buettner and Craig's book is Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father's Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success, which was published September 17, 2024, by Penguin Press. A paperback edition is coming out tomorrow, September 23.