Federal judge dismisses Trump’s $15bn defamation lawsuit against NYT

Complaint not a ‘megaphone for PR’, says Judge Merryday, who deemed long-winded content ‘tedious and burdensome’.

A Florida federal judge has thrown out Donald Trump’s $15bn defamation lawsuit against The New York Times over its length.

United States District Judge Steven Merryday ruled that Trump’s complaint over a book and an article written by Times reporters Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig was overly long and full of “tedious and burdensome” language.

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He gave the president 28 days to file an amended complaint of no more than 40 pages.

A complaint should “fairly, precisely, directly, soberly, and economically inform the defendants … of the nature and content of the claims,” Merryday wrote in his four-page order.

“A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally,” he continued.

Trump is suing over a book and an article focusing on his finances and his pre-presidency starring role in television’s The Apprentice.

Trump said in the lawsuit that the two reporters “maliciously peddled the fact-free narrative” that television producer Mark Burnett turned Trump into a celebrity.

He said they had done this “even though at and prior to the time of publications defendants knew that President Trump was already a mega-celebrity and an enormous success in business”.

The lawsuit also attacked claims the reporters made about Trump’s early business dealings and his father, Fred, and cited an article by Peter Baker, published by the Times on October 20, 2024, and headlined, For Trump, a Lifetime of Scandals Heads Toward a Moment of Judgment.

“This action will begin, will continue, and will end in accord with the rules of procedure and in a professional and dignified manner,” said Merryday.

The White House and Trump’s lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.