• A federal judge has dismissed Donald Trump's $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times.
• The judge found the lawsuit excessively long and containing irrelevant details.
• Judge Steven Merryday gave Trump 28 days to file a revised complaint.
• Trump's original filing was deemed a "public forum for vituperation and invective."
• The lawsuit also targeted four NYT reporters and Penguin Random House.

A federal judge in Florida has dismissed President Donald Trump's $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, stating that the complaint violated court rules requiring "short, plain, direct" claims. U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday described the 85-page lawsuit as "improper and impermissible," and criticized it for containing "tedious and burdensome" language, rather than a clear basis for relief, according to Bloomberg and BBC.

Judge Merryday highlighted that "a complaint is not a megaphone for public relations" nor a venue for political or personal grievances. He ordered Trump to submit a revised complaint within 28 days with a 40-page limit, emphasizing the importance of complying with procedural standards, according to Newsweek and Reuters.

Trump's lawsuit, which included allegations against the newspaper and four of its reporters for a book detailing his life and career, was characterized by the judge as exceeding legal thresholds and filled with self-promoting statements. The judge remarked that the complaint was "decidedly improper" under federal civil procedure rules, as it failed to provide a basis for a legitimate legal claim, according to Al Jazeera and Los Angeles Times.

The judge's ruling follows Trump's increased legal actions against various media outlets, alleging bias and defamation aimed at undermining his reputation ahead of the 2024 election. In this case, he had accused the Times of conducting a "decades-long pattern" of defamation, with claims that included disparaging references to his business dealings and governance, according to South China Morning Post and Dawn.