(RepublicanView.org) – Judge Robert Reed of New York has ordered Donald Trump to pay almost $400,000 in legal fees to the New York Times and some of its reporters.
The order was issued on January 12 after Trump lost a lawsuit against the publication. He was suing for a piece that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018, claiming that it included personal and exaggerated information about him and his family that was given to them by his niece, Mary Trump.
Trump also filed a lawsuit against his niece, claiming she violated a previous settlement agreement by providing the information. That case is still under review.
According to AP News, New York Times spokesperson Danielle Rhoads Ha attributed New York’s law against strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP) to the judge’s decision, calling it a “powerful force” to guard freedom of the press. The law seeks to protect journalists from attempts to subvert their First Amendment rights to free press through frivolous lawsuits.
Rhoads Ha said the ruling “sent a message” to those who would attempt to silence journalists and critics through subversive means.
Alina Habba, an attorney on Trump’s legal team, said they were disappointed by the ruling but were also glad that the case against Mary Trump will continue.
Trump originally filed the lawsuit in 2021. It claims The New York Times and its reporters were relentless in pressuring Mary Trump to provide incriminating information. His legal team also accused the reporters of having knowledge of her previous settlement agreement, according to AP.
The NYT also cast doubt on Trump’s claims of his self-made wealth. Instead, they said his father gave him most of his money over time. They also accused him of illegal tax schemes.
Mary Trump is largely estranged from the rest of her family. She has repeatedly called her uncle cruel and a traitor. She works as a psychiatrist and published author.
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