Trump Libel Complaint vs New York Times Stricken
By Reuters | 19 Sep, 2025

The court struck Trump complaint's allegations for filling it with vituperative invectives rather than concisely giving notice of the factual and legal basis of its alleged claims.

The New York Times building in Manhattan. (Reuters Photo)

A federal judge on Friday struck Donald Trump's $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times over its content, calling it a "decidedly improper" effort to attack an adversary.

U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday in Tampa, Florida said Trump's complaint violated a federal civil procedure rule requiring a short and plain statement of why he should prevail.

A complaint should "fairly, precisely, directly, soberly, and economically inform the defendants ... of the nature and content of the claims," Merryday wrote. "A complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective--not a protected platform to rage against an adversary."

Merryday gave Trump 28 days to file an amended complaint of no more than 40 pages. The White House and Trump's lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York, Editing by Franklin Paul)