Trump's $15 billion defamation case against the New York Times has been thrown out by a US judge
In a significant turn of events, US President Donald Trump's $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times has been dismissed by a US federal judge. The lawsuit, announced by Trump in September 2025 and filed in a Florida district court, targeted The New York Times' reporting on Trump over the years, including his alleged connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
The dismissal comes following Judge Steven Merryday's ruling that Trump's complaint violated federal procedure requiring a 'short and plain statement' explaining why he should win. Judge Merryday described Trump's filing as a 'decidedly improper' attempt to attack an opponent.
The lawsuit stated that a complaint should 'fairly, precisely, directly, soberly and economically inform the defendants of the nature and content of the claims.' However, the judge found that Trump's complaint fell short of these requirements, leading to its dismissal.
This is not the first time Trump has taken legal action against media outlets over Epstein-related reporting. Previously, he had filed lawsuits against The Wall Street Journal and its owner, Rupert Murdoch.
The Epstein scandal had international consequences, with the UK withdrawing its ambassador to Washington over Trump's alleged ties to Epstein. Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 while facing sex abuse charges. Epstein's aide, Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving a prison sentence for assisting Epstein.
Trump has denied writing a letter to Epstein or creating a drawing of a woman linked to Epstein. However, The New York Times' reporting on these matters had been a major point of contention in the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, Lachlan Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch's son, has won the succession battle for the $24 billion media empire, which includes Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, The Times of London, and The New York Post. This development comes amidst the ongoing legal battles between Trump and various media outlets.
The US President has been vocal about his criticism towards The New York Times, labeling it as a 'rag' on Truth Social earlier this week. Despite the dismissal of his defamation lawsuit, it remains to be seen how Trump will continue to engage with the media in the future.
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