First Lady Melania Trump has moved to dismiss a lawsuit filed against her by the journalist Michael Wolff, saying that she was “never properly served.”
A new legal filing states that papers were handed to a doorman at Trump Tower, which is “not Mrs. Trump’s residence.”
Wolff, who has written multiple books on President Donald Trump, claimed in a lawsuit in October that Melania Trump had threatened to sue him for more than $1 billion in damages if he did not retract statements made about her related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
A spokesperson for Melania Trump told The Associated Press at that time: “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.”
Newsweek contacted Wolff and a representative for Trump via email outside of regular working hours.
Why It Matters
The ongoing release of files relating to Epstein has become a focal point of public scrutiny in recent months.
The Trump administration has faced criticism for the slow and incomplete release of the files, which has sparked frustration among lawmakers and victims. It has also led to calls for investigations and potential penalties against the DOJ and its leadership.
What To Know
On Monday, Melania Trump’s lawyers moved to dismiss Wolff’s lawsuit due to an “insufficient service of process, lack of personal jurisdiction, and failure to state a claim.” The filing also described Wolff’s suit as “meritless.”
Among the contested statements made by Wolff is an allegation that Epstein had said that Melania Trump first met her husband on his private jet.
Wolff has requested that both the president and first lady testify under oath about their relationship and interactions with Epstein.
Trump and the White House have repeatedly dismissed Wolff’s statements.
Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, told Newsweek in November: “Michael Wolff is a lying sack of s*** and has been proven to be a fraud. He routinely fabricates stories originating from his sick and warped imagination, only possible because he has a severe and debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted his peanut-sized brain.”
What People Are Saying
The legal filing submitted by Melania Trump’s lawyers says: “This case should be dismissed, and if it proceeds at all – which it should not – it should proceed in the Southern District of Florida.”
President Donald Trump said in December: “What this whole thing is with Epstein is a way of trying to deflect from the tremendous success that the Republican Party has.”
Wolff said in a video statement posted to Instagram in October: “Several days ago I was notified by lawyers for the First Lady that they intend to sue me for a billion dollars for some of those statements… I can’t live like that. In fact, 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.”
What Happens Next
If the lawsuit is not dismissed in New York City, Melania Trump’s lawyers may seek to have it transferred to southern Florida.
