Trump Loses In Court, Pays Big Time
They are trying to take everything Trump has!
Former President Donald Trump has been directed to pay nearly $400,000 in legal fees to The New York Times following a lawsuit he initiated against the publication, three of its journalists, and his niece, centered around a Pulitzer Prize-winning exposé on his family’s wealth and tax practices.
In 2021, Trump filed a $100 million lawsuit, accusing the liberal paper and Mary Trump of breaching his contractual rights and conspiring against him to obtain and publish his tax records in 2018. However, Justice Robert R. Reed dismissed the lawsuit against the newspaper and reporters Susanne Craig, David Barstow, and Russell Buettner in May, citing constitutional law. The claim against Mary Trump, alleging a breach of a prior settlement agreement, is still pending.
Justice Reed, considering the complexity of the case, deemed it reasonable for Donald Trump to cover legal fees amounting to $392,638 for The Times and its reporters. The decision was seen as a testament to the efficacy of New York’s anti-SLAPP statute, designed to curb strategic lawsuits against public participation.
The Times’ spokesperson, Danielle Rhoads Ha, hailed the decision as a victory for press freedom, emphasizing the court’s message against misusing the judicial system to silence journalists.
Donald Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, expressed disappointment over the dismissal of the case against The Times and its reporters but welcomed the affirmation of claims against Mary Trump. The former president alleged a concerted effort by the journalists to obtain his confidential tax records, accusing Mary Trump of smuggling them out of her attorney’s office.
Mary Trump, a vocal critic of her uncle, has been featured on liberal cable news networks and authored books criticizing the Trump family. The legal dispute stems from The Times’ October 2, 2018, article titled “Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches from His Father,” based on confidential tax returns and financial records, acknowledging their confidential nature.
