Trump told to refile New York Times lawsuit judge dismissed as too wordy
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Entrance of The New York Times building. Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
A federal judge struck President Trump's $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times Friday after deeming the original complaint was "decidedly improper and impermissible" for being unnecessarily long.
Why it matters: The development marks an inauspicious start for the president's lawsuit against the Times.
- Trump's legal team has 28 days to refile the case, though the judge specified an amended filing "must not exceed forty pages."
- Judge Steven Merryday noted the order doesn't make any determination on the truth or validity of the allegations.
Driving the news: Merryday noted that while the complaint only contains two counts of defamation, it "consumes eighty-five pages."
- "Even assuming that each allegation in the complaint is true ... a complaint remains an improper and impermissible place for the tedious and burdensome aggregation of prospective evidence, for the rehearsal of tendentious arguments, or for the protracted recitation and explanation of legal authority putatively supporting the pleader's claim for relief," he wrote.
- "As every lawyer knows (or is presumed to know), a complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective — not a protected platform to rage against an adversary."
What they're saying: A spokesperson for President Trump's legal team said the case would be refiled.
- "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 spokesperson said.
The other side: A spokesperson for the New York Times said in a statement, "We welcome the judge's quick ruling, which recognized that the complaint was a political document rather than a serious legal filing."
Catch up quick: President Trump filed the defamation suit on Monday, claiming the Times is a "full-throated mouthpiece of the Democrat Party."
- The complaint focused on three articles, "a malicious, defamatory, and disparaging book" and the editorial board's endorsement of Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
- On Thursday, the Times' executive editor expressed confidence the paper would defeat the president's lawsuit, telling Axios' Sara Fischer the president is "wrong on the facts. He's wrong on the law and we'll fight it, and we'll win."
The bottom line: Legal experts previously told Axios the case is frivolous.
Editor's note: This story was updated with additional details from the judge's order and background on Trump's lawsuit.
