NewsAnchor works at Newsmax booth on July 16, 2024, on the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images
Florida federal judge rejected it NewsmaxAnti-Trust lawsuit Fox News Although it was only a day after it was filed, she said she would allow the right-sided media outlet to file an amended civil complaint.
Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday called the NewsMax case an unacceptable “Shotgun complaints.”
“An amended complaint must not include consecutive counts incorporating all previous claims,” Cannon wrote in order.
“If this order is not followed, the lawsuit may be dismissed without notice,” she wrote in the order.
“This is just a technical issue and we understand that the law firm is undergoing improvements,” Newsmax said in a statement to CNBC.
The company’s lawsuit accused Fox News of acting as an exclusive and suppressing its competitors in conservative media through a variety of means, including intimidation tactics.
Newsmax sought a permanent injunction, excluding Fox’s actions, and claimed damages that CEO Chris Ruddy said CNBC was “significant and serious.”
When the lawsuit was filed Wednesday, Fox said, “Newsmax cannot escape from a competitive mistake in the market to chase headlines just because it can’t attract viewers.”
Southern District of Florida, US District Judge Irene M. Cannon
Courtesy: US Court
Cannon, who was appointed to the bench by President Donald Trump, attracted public attention after his first term at the White House, which ended in January 2021, was assigned to handle criminal cases against Trump to maintain confidential documents.
Cannon dismissed the case in July 2024 and found that the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith as prosecutor violated the US Constitution.
Smith immediately sued the verdict.
The Justice Department later dropped the lawsuit and another unrelated criminal case against Trump when he was elected for a second term in November.
