Judge Shreds Trump’s NYT $15 Billion Lawsuit

U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday in Florida, an appointee of George H.W. Bush, threw out Trump’s libel and defamation lawsuit against the New York Times that was seeking $15 Beeellionn in damages, by ruling that it didn’t provide a succinct complaint for the court to consider.

Judge Merryday was brutal in his four-page order, but did allow the Trump team 28 days to refile a downscaled complaint.

An apparently exasperated judge invoked Rule 8(a) which requires a claim to be concise and not rambling like a Trump political rally — despite the “skill or reputation of the counsel” and the urgency/importance (real or imagined) of the dispute.

tl:dr – Judge just told Trump "I ain't reading all that shit, go try again."The order starts with the phrase "As every member of the bar of every federal court knows (or is presumed to know)…"

— The Questionable Authority (@questauthority.bsky.social) 2025-09-19T16:04:28.097Z

Oh my god "persistently alleged in abundant, florid, and enervating detail."Enervating. Adj. causing one to feel drained of energy or vitality.Readers, I literally cackled with glee.

— The Questionable Authority (@questauthority.bsky.social) 2025-09-19T16:15:48.750Z

Read Merryday’s four-page order here:

USA Today