Federal Judge Denies CBS Motion to Dismiss Trump's Lawsuit over '60 Minutes' Broadcast
In a procedural move, a federal judge on Monday rejected CBS's request to dismiss President Trump's lawsuit stemming from a "60 Minutes" broadcast.
Following an amendment to his complaint on Friday, Trump added a new plaintiff and claimed damages of $20 billion, an increase from the initial $10 billion, alleging that the network manipulated an interview with Kamala Harris last fall.
CBS has dismissed the suit as "meritless," while its parent company, Paramount Global, is reportedly considering a settlement to facilitate its regulatory approval for a merger with Skydance.
The updated lawsuit supersedes the original complaint, rendering CBS's motion to dismiss the initial complaint moot. CBS has until March 7 to file a motion to dismiss the amended complaint, which includes new legal arguments.
Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk emphasized that the denial is procedural and does not reflect a ruling on the merits of the case.
Trump's initial suit, filed in October 2022, accused CBS of violating Texas consumer fraud law by editing Harris's response to a question about the Israel-Hamas conflict. He claimed the footage was altered to portray Harris as more articulate and decisive, and asserted standing as a consumer who was deceived by the broadcast.
CBS challenged the lawsuit, arguing that the broadcast is protected by the First Amendment. The network also requested a transfer of the case to New York. The amended complaint introduces a Lanham Act claim, alleging that Trump suffered harm as a competitor to CBS through his ownership of Truth Social. Additionally, Representative Ronny Jackson (R-Amarillo) has been added as a co-plaintiff in the Texas consumer fraud claim.