A federal court in Tampa has invalidated former President Donald Trump's substantial $15 billion defamation claim against The New York Times, characterizing the submission as 'grossly inappropriate.' The judge has allocated a 28-day period for Trump to refine and re-present his lawsuit, imposing a stringent 40-page restriction. Despite this judicial rejection, Trump maintained an air of triumph, declaring himself to be 'winning' in his ongoing legal confrontations with prominent media entities. This incident marks another chapter in Trump's consistent challenges against news organizations he perceives as biased or unjust.
The legal action initiated by Trump targeted The New York Times, four of its journalists, and Penguin Random House. The lawsuit stemmed from the book 'Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success,' authored by Times reporters Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner. Trump contended that the newspaper acted as a 'mouthpiece' for the Democratic Party and engaged in unlawful campaign contributions, as reported by CNBC.
Following the court's dismissal, Trump conveyed to ABC News, 'I’m winning, I’m winning the cases,' subsequently criticizing ABC and NBC as 'terrible' broadcasting networks. Judge Steven Merryday, presiding over the case, observed that the complaint exhibited more 'boasting' than substantive legal argumentation.
This lawsuit is indicative of a broader pattern in Trump's legal engagements with major media corporations. In July, he initiated a $10 billion defamation suit against News Corp, alleging misrepresentation regarding his association with Jeffrey Epstein's birthday greetings in 2003. Furthermore, Trump previously secured a $16 million settlement from Paramount Skydance following a '60 Minutes' interview featuring Kamala Harris. This settlement, however, did not include an apology or an admission of wrongdoing from the company, prompting Senator Elizabeth Warren to call for an inquiry into what she described as Trump's 'secret side deal' with Paramount.
Trump's legal representative confirmed their intent to persist with the 'powerhouse lawsuit' in accordance with the judge’s directives, emphasizing their resolve to hold 'Fake News accountable.' The New York Times, in response, characterized the original complaint as 'a political document rather than a serious legal filing,' expressing satisfaction with the judge’s prompt decision that acknowledged the political rather than legal essence of the complaint.