Michael Wolff Sues First Lady Melania
Michael Wolff Sues First Lady Melania
The News
Author Michael Wolff sued First Lady Melania Trump Tuesday after her legal team threatened him with a $1 billion lawsuit if he doesn't "immediately retract" and apologize for allegedly defamatory remarks linking her to Jeffrey Epstein.
Wolff claims the First Lady's lawsuit threat is an attempt to silence him through intimidation and the potential for large legal fees.
Wolff is asking the New York Supreme Court to issue a declaratory judgement that he hasn't defamed Trump, along with compensation under the state's Anti-Slapp Law.
The suit outlines 11 specific statements, including podcast clips, news articles and Instagram posts, that the First Lady's team claims are defamatory.
For example, her lawyers say Wolff's comments imply the First Lady was "very involved" in Epstein's circle and that the Trumps' marriage is a "sham."
Reactions
"Mrs. Trump and her 'unitary executive' husband along with their MAGA myrmidons have made a practice of threatening those who speak against them with costly SLAPP actions in order to silence their speech," Wolff said in the filing.
"While the First Amendment has not changed radically in the country, there's been an attack and an attempt to discredit the press and journalists generally that have led to the changed atmosphere," Wolff's attorney David Korzenik tells Axios.
Wolff argues the claims were either taken out of context, not authored by him or were protected opinions backed by facts.
"It is not defamatory to say that Mrs. Trump is actively managing the present White House response to the controversy," the filing said. "Nor is it defamatory to say that Mrs. Trump was involved in Epstein's rather expansive social circle."
"These threatened legal actions are designed to create a climate of fear in the nation so that people cannot freely or confidently exercise their First Amendment rights," he said in the suit.
"First Lady Melania Trump is proud to continue standing up to those who spread malicious and defamatory falsehoods as they desperately try to get undeserved attention and money from their unlawful conduct," her spokesperson told Axios.
"To be perfectly honest, I'd like nothing better than to get Donald Trump and Melania Trump under oath in front of a court reporter and actually find out all of the details of their relationship with Epstein," Wolf said in an Instagram video Wednesday.
More
SLAPP cases — strategic lawsuits against public participation — are designed to silence speech and intimidate recipients with the threat of defending expensive lawsuits.
Though Trump's team had cited Florida law in its warning to Wolff, he sued the First Lady in New York, which has a stronger anti-SLAPP law than the Sunshine State, according to the Public Participation Project.
The Trumps have a long-standing feud with Wolff, who has written four books about the president. The White House previously demanded his 2018 book "Fire and Fury" be pulled from publication.
In her fight against Epstein-related comments earlier this year, the First Lady posted examples of public apologies and retractions she had received, including one podcast excerpt from Wolff about Trump and Epstein's relationship that had later been edited out.
UMass Dartmouth Running Back, 18, Stabbed to Death
Trump Vows 'AI Force,' Czar; Polls Name Change
Sep 20, 2026
Iran Sends Trump Three Conditions to End War
Sep 19, 2026
Faulty AI Intel Nearly Started War With China
Sep 19, 2026
German General Breuer Elected NATO's Top Officer
Sep 19, 2026
Nobel Laureate: War, Sanctions Crushing Iranians
Sep 19, 2026
Dutch Police Disperse Violent Far-Right Hague Protest
Sep 19, 2026
GOP Midterm Odds Fade With 45 Days Left
Sep 19, 2026
Maher Rejects Tarlov's Claim Democrats Are Less Crazy
Sep 19, 2026
Patrick Clancy Breaks Silence After Ex-Wife Killed Kids
Sep 19, 2026
Trump Cuts Park Staff, Diverts Fees to DC
Sep 19, 2026
Holocaust Heirs Sue LA Museums Over Looted Art
Sep 19, 2026
Trump's Fed Chair Hikes Rates, Defying White House
Sep 19, 2026
Miller Drives Push to Deport Illegal Immigrant Children
Sep 19, 2026
US Lifts Sanctions on Eritrea's Military, Ruling Party
Sep 19, 2026
Air Force Admits US Has Space Weapons
Sep 19, 2026
Turkey Revokes License of Iran's Mellat Bank
Sep 19, 2026
Billionaire Ratcliffe Blasts Britain Over Immigration, Taxes
Sep 19, 2026
Navajo Nation Flash Flood Kills Three
Sep 19, 2026
Explosions Over Riyadh Trigger Saudi Air Alerts
Sep 19, 2026
Sep 19, 2026