Trump refiled $15 billion defamation lawsuit
Former President Donald Trump has refiled his $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and its publisher, Penguin Random House, after a federal judge previously dismissed the original complaint for procedural issues. The amended 40-page complaint, filed in Florida’s Middle District Court, focuses on alleged defamatory content in the 2024 book Lucky Loser and several Times articles published before the 2024 presidential election. Trump’s legal team claims these publications misrepresented his business success and wealth origins.
The original 85-page lawsuit was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday, who criticized it for being excessively lengthy and politically charged. The revised complaint removes one defendant, Michael S. Schmidt, and retains journalists Susanne Craig, Russ Buettner, and Peter Baker. Trump seeks compensatory damages of at least $15 billion, along with punitive damages to be determined at trial, and demands retractions of the alleged defamatory statements.
The New York Times has dismissed the lawsuit as meritless and an attempt to suppress independent journalism. A spokesperson for the newspaper stated that the suit aims to intimidate the press and undermine the First Amendment rights of journalists.
This legal action is part of a broader pattern of defamation lawsuits filed by Trump against various media outlets, including ABC News, CBS News, and The Wall Street Journal, some of which have resulted in settlements. Legal experts suggest that Trump’s chances of success in this case are low, given the challenges in proving defamation against a media organization
