"The judge provided Trump's lawyers with 28 days to file an amended complaint. The lawsuit, which asked for $15 billion in damages, accused the Times and four of its reporters, as well as book publisher Penguin Random House, of disparaging Trump's reputation as a successful businessperson. But Judge Steven D. Merryday, of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, said the president's 85-page complaint was unnecessarily lengthy and digressive."
"He criticized Trump's lawyers for waiting until the 80th page to lodge a formal allegation of defamation, and for including, ahead of it, dozens of "florid and enervating" pages lavishing praise on the president and enumerating a range of grievances. "A complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective," Merryday wrote. "Not a protected platform to rage against an adversary.""
""We welcome the judge's quick ruling, which recognized that the complaint was a political document rather than a serious legal filing," a New York Times spokesperson said Friday. A Penguin Random House spokesperson said, "We applaud the judge's decision." A spokesperson for Trump's legal team said in a statement, "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.""
A federal judge in Florida dismissed President Donald Trump's defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and Penguin Random House four days after filing, labeling the complaint improper and impermissible. The lawsuit sought $15 billion, alleging the outlets disparaged Trump's reputation as a successful businessperson. The judge criticized the 85-page complaint as unduly lengthy and digressive, noting a formal defamation allegation did not appear until page 80 and that many pages lavished praise and enumerated grievances. The judge gave 28 days to file an amended complaint limited to 40 pages. The Times and Penguin Random House welcomed the ruling; Trump's team said it will refile.
Read at Boston.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]