MASSIVE BREAKING: Judge strikes down Trump's $15 Billion lawsuit against the New York Times.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Link to tweet

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. A federal judge just sumamrily struck Trump's complaint against the New York Times, calling it, essentially, garbage.

Link to tweet

[pnwmom]

18. Yeah, but all he really did was tell them to shorten it. They can refile within 30 days. nt

[MadameButterfly]

59. But it was a nice smack down for 80+ pages of superfluous

whining that had nothing to do with the case. I can see Trump doing that but I can't believe he is actually able to find lawyers willing to do that and put their names to it.

This means the judge isn't going to tolerate a bunch of bull and the case will not win on the merits.

[pnwmom]

61. I was disappointed because the title made me think the decision was on substantive grounds.

And I don't trust any R-appointed judge at this point. He could also have used this decision to tell them to get their act together, so he won't seem biased when he rules eventually in their favor.

[MadameButterfly]

64. He hasn't made a decision on substantive grounds--yet

We won't know until we know. But Trump is going way beyond what lawyers--even Republicans--are willing to do. Even Karl Rove and Ted Cruz are coming out against the Kimmel firing.

Our survival as a democracy depends not only on what the military will do, but what the judges and lawyers are willing to do. Someday things could be so corrupt that lawyers and judges can make up the law, like in Putin's Russia. But we aren't there yet. Here's hoping that judges and lawyers who spent their lives learning the law won't want to throw that all away for one guy.

[COL Mustard]

67. You pay enough (or offer to pay enough)

You can probably find someone to do almost anything.

[mcar]

2. Great!

[CincyDem]

3. lol. He filed in Florida hoping for another Judge Canon.

Instead he got a Bush appointee with an awareness of what is…and is not…the law.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

15. Different districts

Steven Merryday | Middle District of Florida

Middle District of Florida (.gov)
https://www.flmd.uscourts.gov › judges › steven-merry...
Judge Tabs · Federal Judicial Service District Judge, United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida

Cannon, Aileen Mercedes

Federal Judicial Center | (.gov)
https://www.fjc.gov › history › judges › cannon-aileen-...
Born 1981 in Cali, Colombia Federal Judicial Service: Judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

[CincyDem]

17. Yep - I know. My intention was that he was hoping for another judge who had her sense of the law...and loyalty.

[The Roux Comes First]

29. Or Perhaps, an Actual Qualified Graduate of a Law School, Versus Witless Cowpie Canon

[ancianita]

33. He filed in the same court he had to file in last time. It's a matter of correct jurisdiction, not judge shopping.

[sl8]

49. Why was this one filed in the Middle District?

He's filed suits in both the Southern and Middle Districts - why was this one filed in the Middle District?

[ancianita]

51. I don't know, all the more puzzling that he filed it in the same middle district he filed against the NYT last year.

Maybe a lawyer on DU knows.

[sl8]

52. OK, thanks. nt

[Starbeach]

4. Brutal takedown

Read it

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. Judge strikes down Trump's $15bn lawsuit against the New York Times

Judge says US president’s complaint that the newspaper is ‘spreading false content’ about him violates federal rule

Judge strikes down Trump’s bn lawsuit against the New York Times

— The Guardian (@theguardian.com) 2025-09-19T16:19:37Z

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/19/trump-nyt-lawsuit-judge-ruling

A US judge on Friday struck down Donald Trump’s $15bn lawsuit against the New York Times newspaper and some of its individual journalists. The judge gave the US president leave to amend the action, however, a court filing showed.

The judge in the case said that Trump’s complaint violated a federal rule requiring “a short plain statement” of the claim in an attempt to demonstrate that the plaintiff deserves relief.

Trump launched the massive lawsuit earlier this week accusing the major US publication of being a “mouthpiece” for the Democratic party and of “spreading false and defamatory content” about him.

On Friday the court said such a complaint is not a public forum “for vituperation and invective” or a protected platform “to rage against an adversary”.

The filing against the Times, the latest demonstration of the president’s willingness to use legal action against the media, was made by Trump’s lawyers to a district court in Florida on Monday night.

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

6. Habitual suer belongs in the sewer.

[Wednesdays]

7. TSF will appeal, of course.

He will go judge shopping until he finds another Loose Cannon.

[onenote]

31. He won't appeal. He'll refile a 40 page complaint in place of his 85 page complaint

And he''ll include attachments that aren't included in the 40 page limit in order to restate the nonsense the judge said had no place in the complaint itself.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

43. I would love to see trump appeal this ruling but it is more likely that he will refile

I suspect that trump will be upset at this ruling and may try to go to the 11th Circuit and then to SCOTUS. This will delay the proceedings for a long while which may be what trump wants. This case was filed for publicity and would have been dismissed if trump was going to be deposed. An appeal will keep the publicity up and avoid a deposition

[Ocelot II]

58. He can't; this isn't an appealable order.

And if he continues to fail to comply with Rule 8 the case can be dismissed with prejudice. Rule 41 says:

Involuntary Dismissal; Effect. If the plaintiff fails to prosecute or to comply with these rules or a court order, a defendant may move to dismiss the action or any claim against it. Unless the dismissal order states otherwise, a dismissal under this subdivision (b) and any dismissal not under this rule—except one for lack of jurisdiction, improper venue, or failure to join a party under Rule 19 —operates as an adjudication on the merits.

[Wednesdays]

60. Well then, he'll declare victory no matter the outcome.

What is that saying about pigeons playing chess?

[malaise]

8. Huge

Rec

[blogslug]

9. Here's a link from CNN via WRAL

https://www.wral.com/story/trump-s-new-york-times-lawsuit-struck-down-for-not-being-short-plain-direct/22166090/

(CNN) — In a ruling dripping with derision, a federal judge has rejected President Trump’s defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, asserting that the rambling 85-page suit did not follow federal rules for filing civil complaints.

Judge Steven D. Merryday of the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida said Friday that the suit “stands unmistakably and inexcusably athwart the requirements of Rule 8” of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

Merryday said Trump’s legal team can refile in the next four weeks, but must keep the complaint to 40 pages or fewer.

A complaint is not supposed to be “a public forum for vituperation and invective” or “a megaphone for public relations,” he said...

[WestMichRad]

10. That's too bad...

Was looking forward to discovery into all the allegations included in the filed lawsuit!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

16. trump will refile

trump will NOT be able to let go of this.

[chicoescuela]

19. exactly my feeling

[NJCher]

27. assuage yourself with this

the Times will undoubtedly go after him for a frivolous lawsuit and he will have to pay their lawyers' fees.

[Roc2020]

11. To me the turning point (cough)

of this man and the administration steep downhill losing streak in courts public opinion etc began with the texas redistricting and california retaliated with their own. That to me was when his presidency was legislatively over.

[MadameButterfly]

65. I admire your optimism

and I hope you are right

[GusBob]

12. A poster here, I dont recall who, called it!

The filing was not how it should be, the poster said it should be brief and concise

and he/she said it would be tossed

BRAVO

[Turbineguy]

13. Bummer.

The Discovery phase might have been fun.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

14. Judge strikes down Trump's $15 billion suit against the New York Times

Calling it “decidedly improper and impermissible,” Judge Steven D. Merryday lambasted the 85-page complaint and said it could not stand.

Judge strikes down Trump’s billion suit against the New York Times

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

— JJ's Bucket Hat (not Rodney) (@mrtriskaideka.bsky.social) 2025-09-19T16:30:10.810Z

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/09/19/judge-strikes-down-trumps-15-billion-suit-against-new-york-times/

A federal judge in Tampa struck down President Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, saying that the 85-page complaint was “decidedly improper and impermissible” under the rules governing civil proceedings in federal court.

U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday, an appointee of President George H.W. Bush, issued a scathing ruling on Friday, lambasting the president and his lawyers for their complaint.

“In this action, a prominent American citizen (perhaps the most prominent American citizen) alleges defamation by a prominent American newspaper publisher (perhaps the most prominent American newspaper publisher) and by several other corporate and natural persons,” he wrote. “Alleging only two simple counts of defamation, the complaint consumes eighty-five pages. Count I appears on page eighty, and Count II appears on page eighty-three.”...

In addition to the legal issues at hand, Merryday bemoaned the writing.

“The reader of the complaint must labor through allegations, such as ‘a new journalistic low for the hopelessly compromised and tarnished ‘Gray Lady.' The reader must endure an allegation of ‘the desperate need to defame with a partisan spear rather than report with an authentic looking glass’ and an allegation that ‘the false narrative about ‘The Apprentice’ was just the tip of Defendants’ melting iceberg of falsehoods.’”

The judge said every lawyer should know that a complaint is not a “public forum for vituperation and invective” and 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.”

[gfarber]

20. NYT Lawsuit

A judge gave Trump’s lawsuit a slap,
Said, “This legal mess is pure crap.”
“Eighty-five pages?
Filled with rants and outrages?
Try again — and cut all the flap!”

Trump filed a suit with a roar,
Eighty-five pages (and more!).
The judge rolled his eyes,
Said, “Cut the hot lies—
This ain’t a damn Twitter war.”

[NJCher]

28. time for a rhyme

[rsdsharp]

21. Good lord, he struck the complaint sua sponte.

That means he did it on his own motion; the Times didn’t move to strike. The judge (and the pleading Rule) was so offended by this garbage he struck it down on his own. I don’t ever remember seeing that before.

[MayReasonRule]

22. Bluesky Link

that was quick!

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-09-19T16:22:24.849Z

[BoRaGard]

23. G.O.P. kancel kulture takes a kick in the lads

[ancianita]

24. Predictable. When trump appeals he'll get the same SCOTUS ruling he got in his 2024 suit.

[ancianita]

36. He'll appeal to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, lose there, then to SCOTUS. Wasting valuable court time losing

just like he did a similar suit in 2024. He should be fined for filing what amounts to a SLAPP suit.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

45. trump was never going to be deposed in this case and so he may well appeal

This case was filed for publicity and was never going to go to trial if trump was going to be deposed. If this was a real case that was going to go to trial, trump would replead. An appeal may get trump a chance to show his hurt feelings and get more publicity without risking a deposition

[ancianita]

50. Exactly. All the more reason to see his pattern and slap a fine on him for filing a SLAPP suit.

[onenote]

38. He's not going to appeal. He will re-file consistent with the judge's order.

See post #31.
This is not unlike the Newsmax case vs Fox that was dismissed without prejudice for being a procedurally improper complaint. Some DUers were predicting Newsmax would appeal -- but as some of us predicted, they did no such thing. They simply found a way to refile the complaint that avoided the procedural issue that got it dismissed.

[Ocelot II]

54. He can't appeal. This dismissal isn't an appealable order.

If he wants this lawsuit to proceed, his lawyers will have to comply with the requirements of Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure as the judge ordered, or it will be dismissed for good - and if the reevised complaint is still a pile of crap the lawyers will probably be sanctioned.

[ancianita]

57. Thank you. That settles it for me.

[Nixie]

25. When is he going to be declared a vexatious litigant and barred

from court filings?? It has to be soon..?! Filing frivolous lawsuits that are dismissed means you are just using the courts to harass people. I thought there was a way to stop these types of harassers.

[Disaffected]

26. IMO a question for the ages.

Why indeed not - he meets all the criteria.

Aren't there "slapp suit" laws or some-such?

[onenote]

40. I expect that the defendants will invoke the NY Anti-Slapp suit law against Trump.

After Trump re-files his complaint.

The reason the Times hadn't already invoked the anti-SLAPP suit law is that the complaint was only filed four days ago and they were probably still working on their response, which wouldn't be due until mid-October.

[Disaffected]

47. OK, let's hope it happens. nt

[NJCher]

30. there is

and if you and I did it, we'd get that slap. How he's gotten this far is utterly ridiculous and most likely based on the fact that he occupies the office of the presidency.

[Javaman]

32. The orange assholes transparent slap suit fails. As expected.nt

[Trueblue1968]

34. Twas a stupid lawsuit without merit. DonOLD Rump should be fined $97523689532.99 for filing it !!!!!!

[senseandsensibility]

35. This doesn't seem to be a major story on MSNBC or CNN

and it should be. It shows what happens when you fight back.

[onenote]

37. There was no fighting back. The judge ruled on his own motion. And its just a temporary ruling.

Trump has a window to re-file a more condensed (40 page limit) of his 85 complaint. Moreover, attachments to the complaint don't count against the 40 page limit so don't be surprised if a lot of the material dropped from the main complaint finds its way into attachments.

So not really that big a deal.

[onenote]

39. Link to the court's four page order. I wouldn't get too excited about this.

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flmd.447437/gov.uscourts.flmd.447437.5.0_3.pdf

First, it was dismissed without prejudice on a technical procedural ground.
Second, Trump was given time to re-file a more condensed version of the complaint -- 40 pages instead of 85 -- but attachments to the complaint won't count against the page limit so I expect a lot of the material dropped from the complaint to show up in attachments.
Third, the judge was quite clear and emphatic that the decision did not concern the merits of the complaint.

[lark]

41. They will just refile a more serious and shortened complaint.

They have no shame and just want to take over everything in the US an are well on their way to doing just that - sickening as that is!!

[Mr. Evil]

42. Sanity gets a victory.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

44. "When we get to pleading in my first-year Civil Procedure class, my students often ask me ..."

Reposted by Disney Surrenders Hat
https://bsky.app/profile/kenwhite.bsky.social

Steve Vladeck
‪@stevevladeck.bsky.social‬

When we get to pleading in my first-year Civil Procedure class, my students often ask me just how over the top a complaint would have to be for a judge to strike it without even being *asked* to do so.

Thanks to President Trump, we have an answer:

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flmd.447437/gov.uscourts.flmd.447437.5.0.pdf
storage.courtlistener.com
September 19, 2025 at 1:22 PM

When we get to pleading in my first-year Civil Procedure class, my students often ask me just how over the top a complaint would have to be for a judge to strike it without even being *asked* to do so.

Thanks to President Trump, we have an answer:

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

— Steve Vladeck (@stevevladeck.bsky.social) 2025-09-19T17:22:38.624Z

[ejbr]

46. No worries, Trump

The Times will still fold like these other a-holes .

[LetMyPeopleVote]

48. MaddowBlog-Judge rejects Trump's case against The New York Times, tells lawyers to rewrite it

Last edited Fri Sep 19, 2025, 03:53 PM - Edit history (1)

Like a teacher telling a student to redo his homework, a federal court told the president’s lawyers to file a less ridiculous document.

We’re gonna need a bigger bottle of ketchup. Judge rejects Trump’s case against The New York Times, tells lawyers to rewrite it www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

— (@hairgae.bsky.social) 2025-09-19T16:36:39.308Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/judge-rejects-trump-new-york-times-case-rcna232429

About a week ago, for reasons that were not altogether clear, Donald Trump threatened to sue The New York Times. As it turns out, he wasn’t kidding: Earlier this week, the president and his lawyers filed a $15 billion civil suit (that’s not a typo) against the newspaper, claiming the Times had defamed him and tried to ruin his reputation.

Four days later, a federal judge rejected the case — but not on the merits. Reuters reported:

A federal judge on Friday struck Donald Trump’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times. U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday said Trump violated a federal procedural rule requiring a short and plain statement of why he deserves relief, and that a complaint is not ‘a public forum for vituperation and invective’ or ‘a protected platform to rage against an adversary.’

,,,,,,The judge’s reaction was understandable. Putting aside every other consideration — the White House’s unprecedented offensive against the free press, the absurd dollar amount, the fact that the newspaper doesn’t appear to have done anything wrong, the unsettling frequency with which Trump files civil suits that seem awfully frivolous, et al. — the actual legal document filed with the federal court in Florida was an 85-page joke.

Reading it, I felt a little embarrassed for the lawyers who were responsible for producing it. The complaint (I’m using the word loosely) included random Trump-related images that seemed to have been included for no apparent reason. It described in unnecessary detail assorted television and film appearances the president made before his political career, as well as his role in beauty pageants......

That was true, though Merryday clearly wasn’t amused. Judges tend to prefer serious legal documents to self-indulgent public relations presentations. In fact, Merryday’s smackdown was so brutal that Politico’s Kyle Cheney noted that the judge called Trump’s court filing “essentially garbage.”

In a court order dripping with disdain, Merryday wrote: “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.

]“A complaint is a mechanism to fairly, precisely, directly, soberly, and economically inform the defendants — in a professionally constrained manner consistent with the dignity of the adversarial process in an Article III court of the United States — of the nature and content of the claims. 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. Although lawyers receive a modicum of expressive latitude in pleading the claim of a client, the complaint in this action extends far beyond the outer bound of that latitude.

Has trump responded to this ruling yet?

[choie]

53. Where's "Judge" Aileen Cannon when you need her?

[onenote]

55. In a different judicial district from the one where the suit was filed.

[choie]

56. I was being facetious.

[BigmanPigman]

62. I'm fairly certain that the judge rolled his eyes and burst out laughing

at the irony of this shit show lawsuit.

[RazorbackExpat]

63. There was an old Sherlock Holmes movie, Hound of the Baskervilles,

starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, which had a Scotsman who liked to sue anyone for anything, no matter how ridiculous the reason was. Trump is like that Scotsman.

[FakeNoose]

66. Well ... the case hasn't been struck down, so the headline is misleading

Chump has 30 days to rewrite his complaint and present it to the court in standard format.
If it's over 40 pages, then the Judge will send it back again for another rewrite.