U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday, appointed by Republican President George H.W. Bush, said Trump’s filing violated rules requiring a clear and concise explanation for relief, adding that a lawsuit is not “a public forum for vituperation and invective” or “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,” Merryday wrote.
Merryday gave Trump 28 days to submit a revised complaint. The judge imposed a page-limit for the revised complaint and says the existing complaint “extends far beyond the outer bound” of acceptable pleading.
Why It Matters
Trump is accusing The New York Times of “defamatory and disparaging statements,” causing “numerous harms to President Trump and his businesses.”
The New York Times stated that the lawsuit lacks merit and “is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting.”
What To Know
Trump’s complaint was 85 pages long.
Merryday wrote that a complaint is “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.”
“A complaint is a short, plain, direct statement of allegations of fact sufficient to create a facially plausible claim for relief and sufficient to permit the formulation of an informed response,” Merryday said.
What did the Lawsuit Against The New York Times Claim?
The lawsuit focuses on a book entitled Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success, written by The New York Times reporters Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig, along with three articles published by the news outlet.
The book centers around Trump’s finances and his starring role in television’s show The Apprentice. Attorneys for Trump called the book “false, malicious, and defamatory” in the complaint.
The complaint states that the book “maliciously peddled the fact-free narrative” that Trump was discovered by television producer Mark Burnett, “even though at and prior to the time of publication Defendants knew that President Trump was already a mega-celebrity and an enormous success in business.”
When did Trump file the lawsuit?
Trump filed the lawsuit against The New York Times on Monday.
The New York Times Responds to Lawsuit
The New York Times responded to the lawsuit on Tuesday.
“This lawsuit has no merit. It lacks any legitimate legal claims and instead is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting. The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics. We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favor and stand up for journalists’ First Amendment right to ask questions on behalf of the American people,” The New York Times said in a statement.
Who is Judge Steven Douglas Merryday?
Merryday is a senior district judge for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. He was nominated by Bush in 1991 and confirmed by the Senate in 1992.
He served as chief judge of the district court from 2015 to 2020.
Merryday worked in private practice from 1975 to 1992.
He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and law degree from University of Florida Levin College of Law.
What People Are Saying
Alejandro Brito, Edward Andrew Paltzik and Daniel Zachary Epstein, attorneys representing President Donald Trump, in a complaint: “To hastily churn out the Book and the Articles right before the Presidential Election, with them appealing as crude works of paparazzi rather than as public interest reports, Defendants chose politics over truth. Defendants could not accept President Trump’s win in 2016 and could not fathom his winning again by a landslide, which is what the American people chose to make reality. Hence, Defendants’ desperate need to defame with a partisan spear rather than report with an authentic looking glass.”
U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday, in an order: “This complaint stands unmistakably and inexcusably athwart the requirements of Rule 8. This action will begin, will continue, and will end in accord with the rules of procedure and in a professional and dignified manner.”
Spokesman for President Trump’s legal team: “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.”
