President Donald Trump filed a $15 billion lawsuit towards The New York Instances and its reporters on Sept. 15, accusing the newspaper of defamation.
Trump filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court docket in Florida over articles and a guide written by two New York Instances reporters and revealed throughout the peak of the 2024 election, alleging that they have been crafted with “actual malice, calculated to inflict maximum damage” on him.
“Defendants maliciously published the book and the articles knowing that these publications were filled with repugnant distortions and fabrications about President Trump,” the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit additionally named guide writer Penguin Random Home as one of many defendants.
A spokesperson for the NY Instances mentioned the lawsuit “has no merit,” calling it an try by the president to “stifle and discourage independent reporting.”
“The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics. We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favor and stand up for journalists’ First Amendment right to ask questions on behalf of the American people,” the spokesperson advised The Epoch Instances by way of electronic mail.
A Penguin Random Home spokesperson mentioned in an emailed assertion that Trump’s lawsuit is meritless.
“Penguin Random House stands by the book and its authors and will continue to uphold the values of the First Amendment that are fundamental to our role as a book publisher,” the spokesperson said.
Trump introduced the lawsuit in a Fact Social put up, saying that The New York Instances had grow to be “a virtual mouthpiece for the radical left Democrat Party” and citing its endorsement of then-Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Their Endorsement of Kamala Harris was actually put dead center on the front page of The New York Times, something heretofore UNHEARD OF,” he mentioned.
Trump accused The New York Instances of spreading lies about him, his household, his companies, the America First Motion, the MAGA (Make America Nice Once more) motion, and the nation as a complete.
“The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW,” the president mentioned in his put up.
In his put up, Trump additionally referenced earlier lawsuits he filed towards ABC Information and anchor George Stephanopoulos and one other towards Paramount and CBS. Each circumstances have been settled for “record amounts,” he mentioned.
The primary case stemmed from Trump’s allegations that Stephanopoulos defamed him when stating, throughout an interview, {that a} federal jury discovered Trump answerable for rape.
ABC Information and Stephanopoulos subsequently agreed to a settlement, which included a $15 million charitable contribution, $1 million for Trump’s lawyer charges, and a proper apology.
Within the second case, Trump filed a lawsuit towards Paramount—the father or mother firm to main broadcasting networks corresponding to CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, and others—over CBS’s “60 Minutes” interview with Harris forward of the 2024 presidential election. Trump’s lawsuit alleged that CBS edited the interview to learn Harris within the election.
Trump introduced in July that Paramount had paid $16 million to settle the lawsuit, including that he anticipated one other $20 million from the “new owners” of the corporate, which he mentioned would come within the type of “advertising, PSAs [public service announcements], or similar programming.”
Correction: A earlier model of this text misspelled George Stephanopoulos’s identify. The Epoch Instances regrets the error.
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