Author Michael Wolff’s lawsuit against Melania Trump is dismissed

NEW YORK (AP) — A decide threw out writer Michael Wolff’s lawsuit against first woman Melania Trump on Friday, ruling that his “contorted” try to stop her from suing him for $1 billion over his statements about her and Jeffrey Epstein “is not how the federal courts work.”

Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil in federal courtroom in Manhattan charged Wolff for an “inappropriate level of tactical gamesmanship” and mentioned she “will not be conscripted to oversee an abusively presented spat.”

Vyskocil, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, agreed that Wolff and the primary woman “have a real dispute,” however mentioned “they must litigate it according to the same procedures as everyone else.”

Wolff sued Melania Trump final October after her lawyer, Alejandro Brito, advised him in a letter that she could be “left with no alternative” however to sue him if he did not retract statements that the lawyer mentioned had brought on her “overwhelming reputational and financial harm.”

Wolff wished a decide to declare that he didn’t defame the primary woman and that, had been she to pursue a lawsuit against him, she could be responsible for prices, charges and unspecified financial damages.

Wolff initially sued in state courtroom in New York beneath a regulation barring lawsuits designed to silence critics. Such lawsuits are often known as SLAPPs, or strategic lawsuits against public participation. Brito then had the case transferred to federal courtroom and later sought to have it dismissed or moved to a federal courtroom in Florida.

Vyskocil, in her 45-page determination, mentioned that whereas federal courtroom does have jurisdiction, she was declining to train it and “dismisses this case to be litigated like any other.”

Nick Clemens, a spokesperson for Melania Trump, mentioned she “is proud to continue standing up to, and fighting against, those who spread malicious and defamatory falsehoods as they desperately try to get undeserved attention and money from their unlawful conduct.”

In April, Melania Trump made an announcement on the White House denying any affiliation with Epstein, the millionaire financier and convicted intercourse offender who killed himself in jail in August 2019 whereas awaiting trial on intercourse trafficking prices.

Reading ready remarks, the primary woman mentioned she and her legal professionals had been combating again against “unfounded and baseless lies” that steered she had ties to Epstein.

“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” Melania Trump mentioned. “The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.”

In his lawsuit, Wolff argued that the Trumps “have made a practice of threatening those who speak against them” with pricey authorized actions “to silence their speech, to intimidate their critics generally, and to extract unjustified payments and North Korean style confessions and apologies.”

He mentioned the threats had been “designed to create a climate of fear in the nation so that people cannot freely or confidently exercise their First Amendment rights.”

Wolff has revealed a dozen books, together with 4 bestsellers concerning the president.

Wolff mentioned within the lawsuit that Melania Trump’s menace to Sue him was associated to statements he made to The Daily Beast and in three social media movies. Some statements had been incomplete phrases and had been taken out of context, he mentioned.

Others, the lawsuit mentioned, had been protected speech. For occasion, the assertion that the Trumps had been in a “sham marriage, trophy marriage,” was a “fair and justified” assertion of opinion, it mentioned.

The lawsuit famous that Wolff by no means mentioned Melania Trump was concerned in any of Epstein’s crimes.

In July 2025, after receiving a letter from Brito, The Daily Beast retracted an article titled, “Melania Trump ‘Very Involved’ in Epstein Scandal: Author,” that was based mostly on an interview with Wolff.

Wolff, in his lawsuit, mentioned his feedback pertained to the primary woman’s “involvement” final 12 months managing the matter “behind the scenes” on the White House — not that she was concerned in any of Epstein’s crimes.

Among different statements Wolff mentioned had been true had been these his feedback about Melania Trump assembly Donald Trump in Epstein’s social circle, and that Donald Trump appreciated to have intercourse along with his pal’s wives and first slept with Melania Trump on Epstein’s personal jet.

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Associated Press author Darlene Superville in Washington contributed.