Melania Trump is at the center of a new legal showdown, this time with journalist and author Michael Wolff, who has filed a lawsuit accusing the former First Lady of trying to block the publication of his upcoming tell-all book about her life.
According to court filings obtained by TMZ, Wolff claims Melania “deliberately and maliciously interfered” with his publishing contract and defamed him through public statements related to his forthcoming book, “The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump (Redux).”
Wolff alleges that Melania and her team spread false and damaging claims, accusing him of fabricating interviews, intimidating sources, and “manufacturing lies for profit.” These allegations, he says, frightened off international distributors and caused him to lose a multi-million dollar publishing deal.
The journalist further asserts that he has evidence showing Melania personally directed a public relations firm to contact media outlets and threaten legal action if they promoted or covered his upcoming book — describing it as a “calculated campaign to destroy his reputation and livelihood.”
As part of his lawsuit, Wolff included a letter from Melania’s attorneys demanding he retract and apologize for remarks he made to The Daily Beast linking her to convicted s3x offender Jeffrey Epstein. In that interview, Wolff claimed Melania was “very involved” in the Epstein scandal and suggested she could be a key connection in Donald Trump’s alleged ties to Epstein, accusations her lawyers have firmly denied as “false and defamatory.”
Wolff is asking the court to issue a declaration that the statements in his book are not defamatory, and to rule that if Melania Trump continues efforts to harass, intimidate, or obstruct publication, she will be liable for damages.
Representatives for Melania Trump have not yet responded to requests for comment.