Melania Trump has filed a 26-page sanctions motion asking a court to make Michael Wolff pay her legal fees after a judge dismissed his anti-SLAPP suit as premature. Wolff calls the move 'punishment' and says it reflects a strategy to delay and exhaust opponents. Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil previously warned that pursuing sanctions can be time-consuming and costly. The matter now faces potential appeals that could extend the legal battle.
Melania Trump Seeks Legal Fees From Michael Wolff; Author Calls Move 'Punishment'
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Melania Trump has asked a federal court to require author Michael Wolff to pay her legal fees, filing a 26-page sanctions motion after a judge dismissed Wolff's anti-SLAPP lawsuit. Wolff has characterized the effort as an attempt to 'punish' him for bringing claims that drew the former First Lady into litigation, and he has publicly framed the move as part of a broader strategy to delay and intimidate critics.
What Happened
Wolff sued Melania Trump last October in New York under an anti-SLAPP statute intended to protect speech from meritless legal threats. He said he filed the action after Melania's team threatened a $1 billion lawsuit against him. Melania's attorneys subsequently moved the case to federal court, arguing she resides in Florida rather than New York.
Procedural History
In May, U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, a Trump appointee, dismissed Wolff's suit, concluding that he had acted prematurely because Melania had not yet formally sued him. Earlier this month, Melania's lawyers notified the court that they intended to seek sanctions. Judge Vyskocil warned the parties that litigants sometimes underestimate the time and expense involved in pursuing such motions.
The Sanctions Motion And Reactions
On Tuesday, Melania's lawyers filed a detailed 26-page motion asking the court to require Wolff and his counsel to cover expenses tied to what they call a 'patently meritless lawsuit.' Wolff pushed back on his podcast, Inside Trump's Head, saying the threatened suit had reportedly surprised and alarmed Melania's legal team. He predicted the sanctions motion would be denied, followed by appeals to the Second Circuit and possibly the Supreme Court, which would prolong litigation and costs.
Wolff said the broader tactic is to add 'months and months' to the legal calendar and impose 'countless expense,' summing up the approach as a pattern of delay, harassment, intimidation, and exhaustion.
The dispute remains unresolved and could proceed through additional rounds of briefing and appeals. Observers note that sanctions motions can themselves be costly and time-consuming, even when the underlying claim has been dismissed.
Reporting compiled from Courthouse News Service and Mandatory; originally reported by Devanshi Basu.
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