Overview

• U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday in Florida found the filing improper for violating pleading rules that call for a short, plain statement.
• The 85-page complaint was criticized as repetitive, superfluous and redundant, with formal claims appearing only near the end.
• Merryday wrote that a civil case is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a political rally.
• The suit targets the New York Times, four of its journalists and Penguin Random House over articles and the book Lucky Loser.
• Trump sought $15 billion in damages and now has four weeks to submit a pared-down complaint that meets the court’s limits.