US Court Orders Trump to Rewrite "Overly Verbose" Defamation Complaint

Trump Files $15 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Against NYT
Judge Orders Complaint Cut from 85 Pages to 40 Pages

A judge overseeing the large defamation lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against The New York Times (NYT) has ordered the plaintiff to rewrite the complaint. The judge pointed out that the complaint was excessively verbose and ambiguous, and that it contained an excessive amount of unnecessary political assertions.

According to The Washington Post on September 19 (local time), Judge Steven D. Merryday of the U.S. District Court in Tampa, Florida, ruled that the 85-page complaint submitted by President Trump's team was "excessively long and improper," and ordered that it be resubmitted in accordance with federal civil procedure rules. Judge Merryday noted that the complaint for just two simple defamation claims reached 85 pages, stating, "The first claim appears on page 80, and the second only appears on page 83." The judge instructed Trump's team to submit a new complaint within 28 days, and to keep it within 40 pages.

A judge handling the large defamation lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against The New York Times (NYT) has ordered the plaintiff to rewrite the complaint.

Judge Merryday also raised issues with the language and expressions used in the complaint. He cited phrases such as "the desperately tarnished and besmirched 'Gray Lady'-an old idiom referring to the NYT-reaching a new journalistic low," and "an urgent need to defame rather than report as a true mirror, using a partisan spear." Judge Merryday emphasized, "All representatives must understand that a complaint is not a public forum for insults or abuse, nor is it a platform for impassioned speeches at political rallies, a promotional megaphone, or a Hyde Park Speakers' Corner." The 'Hyde Park Speakers' Corner' mentioned here refers to the free speech platform in Hyde Park, London, which has been famous since the 19th century as a stage for citizens and public figures to deliver political speeches on any topic.

The New York Times welcomed Judge Merryday's order, stating, "We appreciate the judge's prompt decision recognizing that the complaint is more of a political document than a legal filing." In contrast, President Trump's representatives said, "President Trump will continue to hold fake news accountable through a strong lawsuit, in accordance with the judge's procedural instructions."

Previously, President Trump filed a defamation lawsuit worth $15 billion (approximately 20.7 trillion won) against The New York Times, four of its reporters, Penguin Random House-the publisher of a book written by two NYT journalists-and others. Trump's team claims that The New York Times has repeatedly published malicious false reports about him, his family, and the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement.