Global Courant 2023-05-04 04:22:29
A New York Supreme Court judge on Wednesday dismissed the $100 million lawsuit former President Donald Trump brought against The New York Times over a 2018 report on his taxes.
Trump filed suit in September 2021 against the liberal newspaper, as well as his estranged niece, Mary Trump, accusing them of “tort violation and/or interference with his contractual rights and otherwise malicious conspiracy against him” for the report on his taxes .
Judge Robert R. Reed scrutinized Trump in his ruling, calling him the “twice impeached former president”, and said his claims against The Times “fail as a matter of constitutional law”.
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MANHATTAN, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES – 03/24/2023: New York County Supreme Court building. (Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)
He added that the Times’ coverage “is at the heart of First Amendment protected activities.”
“The New York Times is pleased with today’s judge’s decision. It is an important precedent that reaffirms that the press is protected when it conducts routine news gathering to obtain information vital to the public,” said the liberal. newspaper in a statement after the verdict.
According to the indictment: “The defendants were involved in an insidious plot to obtain confidential and highly sensitive data which they exploited for their own benefit and used as a means to falsely legitimize their published works. The actions of the defendants were motivated by a personal vendetta. and their desire to gain fame, notoriety, acclaim and a financial windfall and were further designed to advance their political agenda.”
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A New York judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump against The New York Times for “conspiracy against him” over a report on his taxes. It has yet to rule on the claims Trump has filed against his niece, Mary Trump. (Getty Images/ISTOCK)
The lawsuit specifically names Times reporters David Barstow, Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner, who jointly earned a Pulitzer Prize in 2019 for their “explanatory reporting” on Trump’s wealth based on obtained tax documents.
Trump claimed the trio of journalists were “in the midst of an extensive crusade to obtain” his “confidential tax records” and that Mary Trump was convinced to “smuggle the records out of her attorney’s office and turn them over” to the paper.
While the ruling on Trump’s claims to the Times came Wednesday, no ruling has been made on his claims against Mary Trump, who has been an outspoken critic of her uncle and regularly appears on liberal cable news networks to bash him.
Former President Donald Trump addresses guests at the 2023 NRA-ILA Leadership Forum on April 14, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Joseph A. Wulfsohn and Brian Flood of Fox News contributed to this report.
Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter at @brandon_cg.
