A federal judge has temporarily halted former U.S. President Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against “The New York Times”. The ruling, issued by Judge Steven D. Merryday of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, determined that the 85-page complaint failed to meet the federal requirements for civil lawsuits.
Judge Merryday stated that the lawsuit demonstrably violated Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which mandates that complaints present a concise, clear and direct recitation of factual allegations. He found Trump’s accusations against “The New York Times” to be “manifestly and unduly burdensome.
The legal team representing Mr. Trump has been given the opportunity to refile the lawsuit within the next four weeks, but with a stipulation to limit its length to a maximum of 40 pages. A spokesperson for Mr. Trump confirmed that plans to resubmit the complaint are underway.
The original lawsuit, filed earlier in the week, sought 15 billion dollars in damages. It included allegations that the newspaper acted as a “virtual mouthpiece” for the Democratic Party.