US judge tosses Trump’s defamation suit against NYT, calls it ‘improper and impermissible’

WASHINGTON: A federal judge has dismissed US President Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, sharply criticising it as overly long, unfocused, and failing to meet basic legal standards, CNN reported.

According to CNN, in a scathing ruling issued on Friday, Judge Steven D Merryday of the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida said the 85-page complaint blatantly violated Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which requires a civil filing to be a “short, plain, and direct” statement of facts.

Instead, Merryday called the filing “decidedly improper and impermissible,” likening it more to a political screed than a legitimate legal complaint.

Trump now has 30 days to revise and resubmit the lawsuit. His legal team has confirmed they intend to do so, promising a “powerhouse lawsuit” against The New York Times, several of its journalists, and publisher Penguin Random House.

The original complaint, which sought USD 15 billion in damages, portrayed The Times as a partisan tool of the Democratic Party and singled out reporters who co-authored a book titled “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success”, CNN reported.

Critics noted that the suit often read more like a campaign speech, filled with praise for Trump and attacks on media outlets he’s previously sued.

According to CNN, Judge Merryday warned that future filings must be no longer than 40 pages and should avoid becoming a platform for personal attacks or political grandstanding, stating that legal complaints are not “a megaphone for public relations”.

The New York Times responded positively to the dismissal. “We welcome the judge’s swift ruling, which recognised that the complaint was more political posturing than a valid legal argument,” a spokesperson said, as quoted by CNN.

NYT’s Executive editor Joe Kahn, speaking at an event the day before the ruling, dismissed Trump’s claims outright, stating “wrong on the facts” and “wrong on the law” as reported by CNN.

The US President announced the defamation and libel lawsuit against The New York Times on September 16, accusing the newspaper of running what he called a decades-long “method of lying” against him, his family and the America First movement.

In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump described the lawsuit as the largest illegal campaign contribution ever, alleging that the Times had effectively become a “mouthpiece” for the Democratic Party. He also criticised the newspaper’s front-page endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, calling it “something heretofore unheard of.” (ANI)