“This lawsuit has no merit,” the Times said in a statement. “Nothing has changed today. This is merely an attempt to stifle independent reporting and generate PR attention, but The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics.”
Donald Trump has refiled a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and three of its reporters, claiming that the paper published misleading and potentially defamatory comments when covering his 2024 presidential campaign.
According to NBC News, just last month, a federal judge dismissed Trump’s initial filing against the Times. In it, the president claimed that the Times and four reporters had both tried to ruin his reputation as a businessperson and rally public support against his campaign.
The refiled lawsuit still names the Times as a defendant, alongside three individual journalists: Susanne Craig, Russ Buettner, and Peter Baker. Together, they are accused of making “false, malicious, and defamatory statements” in the course of writing two articles and a book.
The book, entitled “Lucky Loser: How Donald Turmp Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Succession,” was written jointly by Craigh and Buettner and published by Penguin Random House.
Attorneys for the president say that, sometime last year, Trump’s legal team contacted the Times to share their belief that the paper had published defamatory content. Instead of acquiescing, the Times stood its ground and indicated that it was prepared to defend its reporting.
“Defendants rejected President Trump’s reasonable demands for retraction, and instead doubled down and expanded on the malicious and defamatory falsehoods,” the lawsuit alleges.
The New York Times, for its part, has called the lawsuit—in both its forms—a meritless attempt at legal intimidation.
“This lawsuit has no merit,” the Times said in a statement. “Nothing has changed today. This is merely an attempt to stifle independent reporting and generate PR attention, but The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics.”
The first, original version of the lawsuit was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday of U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. In his September ruling, Merryday found that the 85-page-long complaint was disjointed and weighed down by “florid and enervating” prose that made little practical sense—and, perhaps worst of all from a legal standpoint, failed to concisely articulate an actionable set of arguments.
“A complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective,” Merryday wrote, giving the president 28 days to refile his complaint.
The revised filing, at 40 pages, is less than half the length of the original, and Times reporter Michael S. Schmidt has since been removed as a defendant. Notably absent are the many paragraphs that did nothing but heap praise on Trump; in its own coverage, the New York Times notes that, in one section, the president’s legal team described the outcome of the last election as “the greatest personal and political achievement in American history.”
Penguin Random House, also a co-defendant in the claim, issued its own release on the revised lawsuit.
“With a second attempt, this lawsuit remains meritless,” a spokesperson said. “Penguin Random House will continue to stand by the book and its authors, just as we will continue to stand for the important fundamental principles of the First Amendment.”
Sources
Trump refiles $15B defamation lawsuit against The New York Times
Trump Refiles His $15 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Against The New York Times
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