Judge Hands Trump Legal Loss in New York Times Tax Records Battle
Former President Donald Trump's $100 million lawsuit against The New York Times over its 2018 report on his tax records was dismissed by a New York judge on Wednesday.
Trump filed the class-action suit in 2021 against the Times and three of its reporters—Susanne Craig, David Barstow and Russell Buettner—accusing the outlet of "tortious interference" in how they obtained information for their Pulitzer Prize-winning article. The former president alleged that the reporters convinced his niece, Mary Trump, to turn over documents related to his tax records despite a previous legal agreement barring their disclosure. Mary Trump is also listed as a defendant in the lawsuit.
The 2018 article reported how Fred Trump, the former president's father, had given his son at least $413 million throughout the years, including through tax avoidance schemes. The report was a direct denigration on Trump's repeated claims of his self-made wealth.
In a ruling on Wednesday, New York Supreme Court Justice Robert Reed dismissed Trump's argument that the Times' reporters "were motivated by a personal vendetta" against him and had undertaken "an insidious plot" to obtain the tax records from his niece.
Reed wrote in his decision that the Times is protected by the First Amendment to obtain information from its sources even if it involves the source breaching a previous confidentiality obligation. The justice also ruled that the state of New York's anti-SLAPP provision applied to Trump's lawsuit, meaning that the Times is protected from meritless lawsuits intended to intimidate the outlet from exercising its free speech rights.
Trump was also ordered by Reed to pay all attorney fees and associated costs related to the suit. Reed did not issue a ruling on the former president's claims against Mary Trump.
In a statement to the Daily Beast on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Times wrote that the outlet was "pleased with the judge's decision today."
"It is an important precedent reaffirming that the press is protected when it engages in routine newsgathering to obtain information of vital importance to the public," read the written statement."
Newsweek has emailed the Times communications team for comment. A representative for Trump was unable to be reached before publication.
Mary Trump has dismissed the accusations against her in Trump's suit, including calling her uncle a "f***ing loser" in past statements to media outlets. The 56-year-old psychologist and author is a frequent critic of her uncle and the Trump family.
According to the original lawsuit, Mary Trump, daughter of the former president's late brother Fred Trump Jr., obtained tens of thousands of confidential documents involving Fred Trump's will. In 2001, two years after Fred Trump had passed, Mary Trump and other family members signed a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement barring them from sharing the information.
