Trump Files New Defamation Lawsuit Against The New York Times
President Donald Trump has refiled a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and three of its reporters. This comes after an earlier version of the suit was dismissed by a judge for being excessively lengthy and “improper.”
The freshly submitted 40-page filing, made on Thursday in Florida’s Middle District Court, is a trimmed-down version of the original 85-page document.
In this filing, Trump asserts that The New York Times‘ reporting on his business and television career was defamatory. It also mentions Penguin Random House, which published the book titled “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success.” This book was authored by NYT journalists Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner.
The book is critical of Trump’s substantial inheritance, describing it as arising from “fraudulent tax evasion schemes.” It claims that his father, Fred C. Trump, manipulated federal programs to amass his wealth.
In the filing, Trump’s legal team states, “Defendants rejected President Trump’s reasonable demands for retraction, and instead doubled down and expanded on the malicious and defamatory falsehoods.”
U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday previously dismissed the initial lawsuit, asserting that it violated Rule 8 of federal civil procedure. This rule calls for a “short and plain statement” of the claims.
“Alleging only two simple counts of defamation, the complaint consumes 85 pages,” Merryday remarked. “Even under the most generous application of Rule 8, the complaint is decidedly improper and impermissible.”
Trump first announced the lawsuit on Truth Social back in September, labeling The New York Times as “one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the nation’s history.”
He added, “The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!”
Responding to the refiled lawsuit, The New York Times issued a statement, asserting, “Nothing has changed today. This is merely an attempt to stifle independent reporting and generate PR attention, but The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics.”
