U.S. President Donald Trump has refiled a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, its reporters, and publisher Penguin Random House, submitting a 40-page amended complaint on Thursday.
The move comes after U.S. District Court Judge Steven Merryday in Florida dismissed the original suit on September 19, granting Trump 28 days to amend and refile the case.
Trump’s initial lawsuit accused The New York Times and several of its journalists — including investigative reporters Suzanne Craig, Russ Buettner, and Michael S. Schmidt, as well as chief White House correspondent Peter Baker — of defaming him in their reporting. In the amended filing, all but Schmidt remain as defendants.
The new complaint outlines an itemized list of alleged defamatory statements connected to specific articles and publications. As in the original case, Trump seeks $15 billion in compensatory damages, in addition to punitive damages “in an amount to be determined upon trial of this action.”
Judge Merryday had previously dismissed the 85-page initial filing for violating Rule 8(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which requires a “short and plain statement” of the claim.
“Alleging only two simple counts of defamation, the complaint consumes 85 pages,” Merryday wrote in his ruling. “Count one appears on page 80, and count two appears on page 83 … Even under the most generous and lenient application of Rule 8, the complaint is decidedly improper and impermissible.”
The amended filing seeks to address those procedural issues as Trump continues his legal battle against The New York Times and related parties.
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Source:Africa Publicity
