Failed Lawsuit: Trump Pays $392k In Legal Fees To New York Times Over Disclosure Of His Tax Documents

Eko Hot Blog reports that Donald Trump has paid $392,000 to The New York Times to cover the legal costs from his failed lawsuit against the newspaper and its journalists over a 2018 investigation into his finances that included confidential tax records, a spokesman for the Times told CNN on Monday.

Editor’s Pick:

• Pastor Murdered Inside Church In Osun

• LUTH Refutes Allegation Of Negligence Over Death Of US-Based Nigerian

• BREAKING: Police Arrest Wanted Kidnap Kingpin In FCT

Trump was ordered to pay the money in January, more than eight months after Judge Robert R. Reed granted the Times’ motion to dismiss the case against it and its journalists, concluding the journalists’ conduct was protected by the New York Constitution.

Former US President Donald Trump arriving in New York for his arraignment on April 4, 2023

Among the claims that Trump brought against the Times was the accusation that the journalists were liable for “tortious interference” in how they allegedly sought out his niece and caused her to allegedly breach a 2001 settlement contract with the Trump family, CNN previously reported.

The reporting series, authored by David Barstow, Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner, went on to win the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting.

Last year, the judge said he was dismissing the claim against the Times “because The Times’ purpose in reporting on a story of a high public interest constitutes justification as a matter of law.”

The judge pointed to recent amendments made to New York’s so-called anti-SLAPP law — which provides a mechanism for defendants to seek quick dismissal of lawsuits that target conduct protected by the First Amendment — in explaining why he was ordering the dismissal of the defendants and the payment of their attorneys’ fees.

Donald Trump

A spokesman for the Times on Monday called the anti-SLAPP statute a “powerful force for protecting press freedom.”

Further Reading:

• Soludo Mourns As Five Dies In Anambra Building Collapse

• We Simply Want To Tell The World That Nigerians Are Dying Because Of FG’s Policies – NLC

• Court To Decide Nnamdi Kanu’s Bail Fate In Fresh Twist, As Kanu’s Health Condition Speaks for Itself

“This decision shows that the state’s newly amended anti-SLAPP statute can be a powerful force for protecting press freedom,” Times spokesman Charlie Stadtlander said in a statement. “The court has sent a message to those who want to misuse the judicial system to try to silence journalists.”

CNN has reached out to representatives for Trump for comment.

– CNN’s Rob Frehse contributed to this article.

Credit: CNN

---

Advertise or Publish a Story on EkoHot Blog:

Kindly contact us at [email protected]. Breaking stories should be sent to the above email and substantiated with pictorial evidence.

Citizen journalists will receive a token as data incentive.

Call or Whatsapp: 0803 561 7233, 0703 414 5611