Former President Donald Trump is suing his niece, Mary Trump, and several New York Times reporters over the publication of his tax information.
Trump’s lawsuit is seeking “damages in an amount to be determined at trial, but believed to be no less than One Hundred Million Dollars,” according to CNN.
The former president’s lawsuit says his niece’s disclosure of the tax information to the newspaper was an illegal breach of contract, allegedly violating a settlement agreement established in 2001 among their family.
According to the lawsuit, the Times’ reporters “relentlessly sought out Mary Trump and intentionally procured her breach of the Settlement Agreement,” as CNN reports.
The lawsuit alleges Mary Trump’s actions as well as that of those at the Times “were motivated, at least in part, by their actual malice towards Plaintiff.”
The reporters allegedly “unjustly reaped significant personal, professional and/or business-related benefit(s), including, but not limited to, monetary gain, fame, acclaim, notoriety, inflated market valuation, increased revenue, and/or career advancement.”
The Daily Beast was the first to report on the lawsuit. Mary Trump responded to the lawsuit in a statement to the outlet.
“I think he is a f***ing loser, and he is going to throw anything against the wall he can,” she said. “It’s desperation. The walls are closing in and he is throwing anything against the wall that will stick. As is always the case with Donald, he’ll try and change the subject.”
A spokesperson for the Times defended the newspaper’s coverage of Trump’s tax information.
“The Times’ coverage of Donald Trump’s taxes helped inform citizens through meticulous reporting on a subject of overriding public interest. This lawsuit is an attempt to silence independent news organizations and we plan to vigorously defend against it,” the spokesperson explained.
Mary Trump detailed releasing her uncle’s tax returns to the Times in her book, “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.”