Donald Trump just got shredded in federal court, not by political opponents, but by Judge Steven D. Merryday himself. The judge torched Trump’s attorneys for filing what should have been a simple defamation complaint but instead turned into an 85-page ego parade. As Judge Merryday wrote, Rule 8 requires “a short and plain statement of the claim,” but Trump’s filing was “decidedly improper and impermissible” .
The judge pointed out that instead of sticking to facts, Trump’s lawyers laced the complaint with invective and campaign-style rambling. Merryday mocked the filing for forcing readers to slog through “abundant, florid, and enervating detail” , including Trump bragging about “trouncing” his opponent, rehashing the “Russia Collusion Hoax,” and waxing poetic about The Apprentice as proof of his “singular brilliance” .
The knockout blow came when Judge Merryday reminded Trump’s team that “a complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective, not a protected platform to rage against an adversary. A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally” .
Translation: Trump’s lawyers confused a federal courtroom with a campaign rally. The judge struck the entire complaint, limited any re-filing to 40 pages, and made it clear the circus act won’t fly in his courtroom.
If this is the “best legal team” Trump can muster, Judge Merryday’s words speak for themselves: their work is “unmistakably and inexcusably” outside the bounds of professional practice.
