Judge dismisses Trump's $15-billion defamation lawsuit towards the New York Times at federal level
The federal judge in Florida, Steven D. Merryday, has dismissed a $15-billion defamation lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump against The New York Times. The judge, who is an appointment of former President George H.W. Bush, deemed the 85-page lawsuit as overly long and filled with "tedious and burdensome" language.
The lawsuit named four Times journalists and cited a book and three articles published within a two-month period before the last election. The articles focused on Trump's finances and his pre-presidency role in the TV show "The Apprentice." Trump claimed in the lawsuit that the reporters "maliciously peddled the fact-free narrative" that television producer Mark Burnett turned Trump into a celebrity.
The lawsuit also attacked claims the reporters made about Trump's early business dealings and his father, Fred. Trump sued Peter Baker for an article published on Oct. 20, headlined "For Trump, a Lifetime of Scandals Heads Toward a Moment of Judgment." He also sued Michael S. Schmidt for a piece two days later featuring an interview with Trump's first-term chief of staff, John Kelly.
The dismissal occurred on Friday. In his four-page order, Judge Merryday wrote that the complaint in this case extended far beyond the outer bound of expressive latitude allowed for lawyers. He stated that the lawsuit was more like a political document than a legal filing.
Trump has been ordered to file an amended complaint within 28 days, with a maximum length of 40 pages. The judge's order comes after Trump's previous attempts to silence media outlets, including settling out of court cases with ABC News and CBS News' "60 Minutes."
The author of the Associated Press article is Anderson. The Times had previously stated that the lawsuit was meritless and an attempt to discourage independent reporting. Trump also sued The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch in July after the newspaper published a story reporting on his ties to wealthy financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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