A federal court in Florida has dismissed US President Donald Trump’s $15 billion defamation suit against The New York Times, Reuters reported on 19 September.
Judge Stephen Merriday said Trump’s lawsuit was improperly filed because it was not clear what the substance of the president’s claims were. He said the lawsuit should accurately inform defendants “of the nature and substance of the claims.”
“A lawsuit is not a public forum for insults and fierce attacks against an opponent,” the judge said.
Merriday gave Trump 28 days to file an amended lawsuit, which must not exceed 40 pages.
Trump and his representatives have not yet commented on the court’s decision.
16 In September, Trump announced that he was filing a defamation suit against The New York Times because, in his view, the newspaper had been spreading lies about himself, his family, businesses and the American nation as a whole for “decades.” He said the publication had become “the mouthpiece of the radical left-wing Democratic Party.” Trump also mentioned the newspaper’s support for presidential candidate Kamala Harris, which was claimed to be “front page centre”. He called it “the largest illegal campaign contribution in history.”
Trump has repeatedly sued media corporations – and sometimes won them. In November 2024, as a presidential candidate, he sued CBS Television and Paramount over an interview with Kamala Harris. As a result, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle the suit.