A federal judge dismissed author Michael Wolff's preemptive lawsuit against Melania Trump, clearing the path for a potential billion-dollar defamation claim.
A federal judge on Friday dismissed a preemptive lawsuit brought by author and journalist Michael Wolff against First Lady Melania Trump, sharply criticizing the filing as a “contorted” attempt that does not align with how federal courts operate.
U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, a Trump appointee serving in Manhattan, declined to exercise jurisdiction over the case despite acknowledging a genuine underlying dispute between the parties. In a 45-page opinion, Vyskocil described the litigation as marked by an “inappropriate level of tactical gamesmanship” and said she would not allow the court to be drawn into “an abusively presented spat.”
“While Plaintiff and the First Lady have a real dispute, they must litigate it according to the same procedures as everyone else,” Vyskocil wrote. “Plaintiff asks for a declaration that, if the First Lady sues him, he deserves to win. That is not how the federal courts work.”