Jeff Greene, loser in Florida's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, says that two newspapers cost him the election and that he'll sue for libel, the New York Times reports.

The New York Times' Jeremy W. Peters notes:

A libel suit is a rare step for a political figure. While many candidates complain about unfair news coverage, few go as far as making their complaints a legal case.

The New York Times reports that Greene will seek at least $500 million in damages from the St. Petersburg Times and the Miami Herald to teach the news media a lesson.

Greene is quoted:

"I want to send a message to every newspaper in the country: Do your homework. I deserve to have the record corrected, and they deserve to be punished."

The New York Times reports:

At issue are two news articles written by St. Petersburg Times reporters that were printed in both The Times and The Herald, and a Times editorial urging a federal investigation into Mr. Greene's business activities.

Neil Brown, the editor of The Times, defended the paper's articles. "The Times' coverage of Mr. Greene and his business transactions has been thorough and fair, and the reporting is well-documented in public records," he wrote in an e-mail.

Anders Gyllenhaal, executive editor of The Herald, declined to comment.

In one article, The Times reported that Mr. Greene was party to a real estate deal that left 300 California families homeless and a partner of his in jail. The other left the impression that the boxer Mike Tyson, who was the best man at Mr. Greene's wedding, used drugs while on Mr. Greene's yacht. The paper later ran a front-page correction clarifying that Mr. Tyson said he had not used drugs on the yacht.