In a recent ruling, the New York State Appeals Court stated that former President Trump can sue his niece, Mary Trump, for violating a confidentiality agreement she signed by providing information to The New York Times. The Manhattan Appeals Court found that Trump had “sufficient” legal grounds to sue his niece for violating the confidentiality clauses in a 2001 settlement agreement regarding her father, Fred Trump’s estate.
It is unclear at this stage whether the information Mary disclosed to the media is bound by the confidentiality provisions and for how long both parties intended for these terms to remain in effect. The panel of five judges stated, “Even without actual damages, nominal damages can be sought for breach of contract. Donald Trump had sought $100 million in compensation.”
Mary’s lawyer did not immediately respond to media requests for comment. Her lawyer, Anne Champion, previously argued that Trump’s lawsuit was in violation of state laws aimed at preventing lawsuits that aim to “thwart and retaliate” against free speech, including communication with the media.
Champion stated in a released statement, “Mary has provided invaluable insight into this former president from a unique perspective as a member of his family. We believe that as the case progresses, Mary will be vindicated.” Former President Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, expressed Trump’s desire for Mary to take full responsibility for her “overt and egregious breach of contract.”
In 2018, the Pulitzer Prize Board awarded The New York Times the Pulitzer Prize for their reporting, recognizing their in-depth and persistent reporting in the public interest, greatly deepening America’s understanding of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
President Trump formally requested the Pulitzer Prize Board to rescind these awards in October 2021, but his request was denied. The Pulitzer Prize Board responded in a statement, “The conclusions of the independent reviews conducted were unanimous: there were no paragraphs, headlines, arguments, or assertions in the award-winning works that were found to be inconsistent with facts that emerged after the awards were given.”
In July 2022, Trump criticized the Pulitzer Prize Board for refusing to revoke the awards, despite the debunking of the media’s so-called “RussiaGate” reporting as fake news.
In 2021, Trump filed a lawsuit against his niece Mary, The New York Times, and three reporters for improperly obtaining his personal tax records, seeking at least $100 million in damages from Mary and the newspaper.
In January of this year, Justice Robert Reed of the New York Supreme Court dismissed Trump’s claims against The New York Times and three reporters, ordering him to pay $392,000 in legal fees.
Mary, who admitted to being a source for The New York Times in her 2020 book “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man,” has been at the center of the legal battle between the Trump family members in a case titled “Trump v Trump.” This case is being heard in the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division, First Department, with the docket number 2023-03021.
This ongoing legal saga between Trump and his family members continues to draw attention as the intricate details unfold in the courtroom.