President Donald Trump filed a $15 billion lawsuit towards The New York Occasions and its reporters on Sept. 15, accusing the newspaper of defamation.
Trump filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Courtroom in Florida over articles and a e-book written by two New York Occasions reporters and revealed through the peak of the 2024 election, alleging that they have been crafted with “precise malice, calculated to inflict most injury” on him.
“Defendants maliciously revealed the e-book and the articles understanding that these publications have been stuffed with repugnant distortions and fabrications about President Trump,” the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit additionally named e-book writer Penguin Random Home as one of many defendants.
A spokesperson for the NY Occasions mentioned the lawsuit “has no benefit,” calling it an try by the president to “stifle and discourage impartial reporting.”
“The New York Occasions won’t be deterred by intimidation techniques. We are going to proceed to pursue the details with out concern or favor and arise for journalists’ First Modification proper to ask questions on behalf of the American folks,” the spokesperson instructed The Epoch Occasions through e mail.
A Penguin Random Home spokesperson mentioned in an emailed assertion that Trump’s lawsuit is meritless.
“Penguin Random Home stands by the e-book and its authors and can proceed to uphold the values of the First Modification which can be basic to our function as a e-book writer,” the spokesperson acknowledged.
Trump introduced the lawsuit in a Fact Social publish, saying that The New York Occasions had turn out to be “a digital mouthpiece for the novel left Democrat Celebration” and citing its endorsement of then-Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Their Endorsement of Kamala Harris was truly put lifeless heart on the entrance web page of The New York Occasions, one thing heretofore UNHEARD OF,” he mentioned.
Trump accused The New York Occasions 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 an entire.
“The New York Occasions has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for much too lengthy, and that stops, NOW,” the president mentioned in his post.
In his publish, Trump additionally referenced earlier lawsuits he filed towards ABC Information and anchor George Stephanopoulos and one other towards Paramount and CBS. Each instances have been settled for “document quantities,” 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 chargeable 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 similar 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 profit Harris within the election.
Trump announced in July that Paramount had paid $16 million to settle the lawsuit, including that he anticipated one other $20 million from the “new house owners” of the corporate, which he mentioned would come within the type of “promoting, PSAs [public service announcements], or comparable programming.”
Correction: A earlier model of this text misspelled George Stephanopoulos’s title. The Epoch Occasions regrets the error.
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