A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by author Michael Wolff against Melania Trump, ruling that his attempt to pre-empt a defamation claim from the first lady was procedurally improper and amounted to 'textbook bad-faith forum shopping'. Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil of the US District Court in New York issued the ruling on Wednesday, rejecting Wolff's effort to obtain a declaration that his statements about Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were not defamatory.
Wolff filed the suit last October after Trump's lawyers demanded a retraction of comments he made linking her to the late sex trafficker. Her lawyer warned that she would have 'no alternative' but to sue for defamation. In response, Wolff sought a preemptive ruling under New York's anti-SLAPP statute, which is designed to protect defendants from meritless lawsuits that chill free speech.
In a 45-page opinion, Judge Vyskocil wrote that Wolff was asking for 'special treatment' by trying to litigate the dispute out of order. She noted that he had 'won the race to the courthouse' by filing in New York before Trump had filed her own suit in Florida, but described his tactics as an 'inappropriate level of tactical gamesmanship'. The judge declined to reach the merits of the case, stating: 'The court will not be conscripted to oversee an abusively presented spat.'
Wolff, who authored four books about Donald Trump, had previously been revealed in justice department files to have had extensive communications with Epstein about the former president's first campaign. Melania Trump has consistently denied any friendship or inappropriate relationship with Epstein, calling the allegations 'unfound and baseless lies'. In a statement from the White House, she said she and her lawyers would fight back against those spreading 'malicious and defamatory falsehoods'.
A spokesperson for the first lady welcomed the dismissal, saying 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'. The ruling allows the underlying defamation dispute to proceed in Florida, where Trump has indicated she intends to sue.
