A federal judge has swiftly rejected President Trump’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times on Friday, tossing the case just four days after it was filed and giving Trump’s legal team 28 days to file again.
BREAKING: Florida judge dismisses Trump $15 B case against @nytimes @susannecraig @russbuettner @peterbakernyt @nytmike pic.twitter.com/RK4jAm6o95
— Sheryl Gay Stolberg (@SherylNYT) September 19, 2025
Judge Steven Merryday, a George H.W. Bush said the complaint violated basic court requirements for bringing a defamation suit, underscoring that it failed to meet the necessary legal standards. He also described it as “decidedly improper and impermissible.”
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. A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally or the functional equivalent of the Hyde Park Speakers’ Corner.
The lawsuit named the New York Times, four of its reporters, and the book publisher Penguin Random House as defendants in the case. The suit alleged that the defendants engaged in “spreading false and defamatory content” about Trump, interfering with the 2024 presidential election. It cited several articles written by the NYT and the book “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success.”
Merryday said that although the lawsuit raised only two counts of defamation, and yet it “consumes eighty-five pages. Count I appears on page eighty, and Count II appears on page eighty-three,” he noted. The filing, he added, included “many, often repetitive, and laudatory (toward President Trump) but superfluous allegations.”
The judge is giving Trup's legal team to file an amended suit, but cautioned that “This action will begin, will continue, and will end in accord with the rules of procedure and in a professional and dignified manner.” He also added that the new suit must not exceed 40 pages, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
Help us continue to report on President Trump's successes. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT for 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member