Former U.S. First Lady Melania Trump is facing a new legal battle, this time with journalist and author Michael Wolff, who has filed a lawsuit accusing her of attempting to sabotage the release of his upcoming tell-all book about her life.
According to court filings obtained by TMZ, Wolff alleges that Melania “deliberately and maliciously interfered” with his publishing contract and defamed him through statements made about his forthcoming book, The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump (Redux).
Wolff claims that Melania and her team spread damaging falsehoods, accusing him of fabricating interviews, intimidating sources, and “manufacturing lies for profit.” These allegations, he says, caused major distributors to withdraw and led to the loss of a multi-million dollar publishing deal.
The veteran journalist also asserts that Melania personally instructed a public relations firm to contact media outlets and threaten legal action if they promoted or covered his book — describing the move as a “calculated campaign to destroy his reputation and livelihood.”
As part of the lawsuit, Wolff included a letter from Melania’s attorneys demanding a retraction and apology over remarks he made to The Daily Beast, in which he linked her to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In that interview, Wolff claimed Melania was “very involved” in the Epstein scandal and could be a key figure in Donald Trump’s alleged ties to Epstein — claims her legal team has vehemently denied as “false and defamatory.”
Wolff is asking the court to declare that the statements in his book are not defamatory and to hold Melania Trump liable for damages if she continues to obstruct or interfere with its publication.
Representatives for Melania Trump have not yet commented on the lawsuit.
