Trump refiles $15 billion defamation lawsuit against New York Times after first complaint dismissal

President Donald Trump has refiled a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, maintaining his claim that the newspaper and several of its reporters knowingly published false and damaging information about his finances and business career. The revised complaint, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, follows a judge's decision last month to dismiss the original suit for being excessively long and improperly formatted.

The initial 85-page complaint was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday, who described it as 'tedious and burdensome', and said that a legal complaint is not “a protected platform to rage against an adversary.” Judge Merryday gave Trump’s legal team 28 days to submit an amended version of the complaint, limiting it to 40 pages and instructing that it comply with standard procedural rules.

Trump’s revised complaint, now 40 pages, continues to allege that The New York Times, reporters Susanne Craig, Russ Buettner, and Peter Baker, along with Penguin Random House, acted with 'actual malice' in their coverage. The lawsuit stems from reporting about Trump’s finances and the book Lucky Loser, co-authored by Times reporters. Notably, investigative journalist Michael S. Schmidt, named in the original suit, is not included in the refiled version.

“The statements in question wrongly defame and disparage President Trump’s hard-earned professional reputation,” the complaint states, emphasizing his achievements as a businessman and reality television star.

In response, a spokesperson for The New York Times reiterated the publication’s stance, saying, “Nothing has changed today. This is merely an attempt to stifle independent reporting and generate PR attention, but The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics.”

Trump is seeking at least $15 billion in compensatory damages, along with punitive damages and a public retraction.

Separately, Trump has also filed defamation lawsuits against The Wall Street Journal, ABC News, and CBS’s 60 Minutes. In the WSJ case, Trump is seeking at least $20 billion over a 2003 letter tied to Jeffrey Epstein. Lawyers for the Journal have moved to dismiss, asserting the article in question is accurate.