A report released by AP News on Friday, January 12, 2024, it was disclosed that former President Donald Trump has been directed to pay nearly $400,000 in legal fees to The New York Times and three investigative reporters. This follows his loss in a lawsuit regarding a 2018 story that exposed his family’s wealth and tax practices, a story that received a Pulitzer Prize.
The Pulitzer-winning story brought to light how Fred Trump, Donald Trump’s father, transferred a minimum of $413 million to his son over several decades, often through questionable tax strategies. The information was sourced from confidential tax records obtained by reporters Susanne Craig, David Barstow, and Russell Buettner from Mary Trump, Donald Trump’s niece. Mary Trump had acquired the records during a dispute over her grandfather’s estate.
In 2021, Trump filed a lawsuit against The New York Times and the reporters, alleging that they induced Mary Trump to violate a previous settlement agreement prohibiting her from disclosing the tax records. He also sued Mary Trump for breaching the agreement. However, the New York Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit in May, with Justice Robert Reed ruling that the reporters had engaged in protected First Amendment activities related to legal and routine news gathering.
Reed, on Friday, ordered Trump to pay $392,638 in legal fees to The New York Times and the reporters. He deemed the amount reasonable considering the case’s complexity and other factors.
The decision is seen as a demonstration of the efficacy of New York’s anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) statute, designed to thwart baseless lawsuits intended to stifle criticism. Times spokesperson Danielle Rhoads Ha emphasized the significance of the ruling in safeguarding press freedom.
While Trump’s claim against Mary Trump is still pending, he has appealed the dismissal of the lawsuit against The New York Times and the reporters. His legal team contends that the reporters acted in bad faith, and Mary Trump breached her fiduciary duty to the family. Mary Trump, who authored a critical book in 2020 and revealed herself as the source of the tax records, has defended her actions as a public service and a moral obligation, asserting her duty as an American citizen and a member of the Trump family.
