President Donald Trump has refiled a lawsuit first brought September 16 in Florida accusing the New York Times and several of its reporters, including Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner, of disparagement. Penguin Random House, which published Buettner and Craig’s book based on their reporting, Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father's Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success, is also named as a defendant. Trump had previously threatened to sue PRH last year over the book.
The suit alleges the publishers and reporters sought to undermine the President's election campaign in 2024 and is seeking a minimum of $15 billion in damages. The original suit was quickly dismissed by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday who called the suit “improper and impermissible” under federal court rules, saying it resembled a political manifesto more than a legal filing.
Judge Merryday also sharply criticized the filing, which he said strayed far beyond the requirements of Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure mandating a “short and plain statement of the claim.” The new complaint is half the length of the original document, and one of the New York Times reporters, Michael Schmidt, has been dropped from the suit.
Both the Times and PRH repeated comments they made at the time of the first lawsuit, which they said was without merit.
"With a second attempt, this lawsuit remains meritless," a PRH spokesperson said. "Penguin Random House will continue to stand by the book and its authors just as we will continue to stand for the important fundamental principles of the First Amendment."
