A federal judge delivered a sharp rebuke to President Donald Trump on Friday. He dismissed Trump’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times. District Judge Steven Merryday, appointed by George H.W. Bush, called the complaint “improper and impermissible.”
Merryday didn’t rule on the case’s merits. Instead, he criticised its style. The 85-page filing was excessively long, repetitive, and overly complimentary of Trump. It also included harsh attacks on the newspaper. The judge gave Trump’s lawyers 28 days to refile. He urged them to do so “in a professional and dignified manner.”
Merryday laid out clear rules for court filings. “A complaint is a short, plain, direct statement of allegations of fact,” he wrote. It should support a plausible claim for relief. He noted lawyers have some room for expression. But Trump’s suit went too far. “The complaint in this action extends far beyond the outer bound of that latitude.”
Merryday added, “A complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective.” It’s also “not a protected platform to rage against an adversary.” The filing accused The Times of a “decades-long pattern” of smears with “actual malice.” It claimed the paper spread falsehoods against Trump. The suit sought $15 billion in damages, plus punitive amounts.
Judge Throws Out Trump’s Lawsuit Against The New York Times For Being Too Longhttps://t.co/6pn1M5zPKz pic.twitter.com/0srbYP3o4e
— Forbes (@Forbes) September 19, 2025Trump’s Growing Legal Attacks on the Media
Trump, now 79, has long clashed with the press. His hostility grew after his White House return. He often blasts critical journalists, limits their access, and files big-money suits.
Earlier this week, Disney-owned ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel indefinitely. The FCC head threatened licenses over Kimmel’s comments on conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s killing. Trump posted on Truth Social: “The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!”
The suit alleged that The Times ignored journalism standards. It wrote “antagonistic and negative” stories without giving Trump enough response time. “Put bluntly, Defendants baselessly hate President Trump in a deranged way,” it stated.
Read: Jimmy Kimmel Live Suspended After Comments on Charlie Kirk Murder
The Times called the suit meritless. “It lacks any legitimate legal claims and instead is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting,” they said. “The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics.”
U.S. media enjoys strong First Amendment protections. But Trump has won settlements elsewhere. He got multi-million dollar payouts from ABC and CBS (Paramount). Those funds go to his future presidential library. Experts see these as efforts by parent companies to curry favour with Trump. Trump also sued Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal for $10 billion. That followed a July report on a birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein.
