NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday sued his estranged niece and The New York Times over a bombshell 2018 story about his family’s wealth and tax practices that was based on confidential documents she provided to the newspaper’s reporters.
Trump’s lawsuit, filed in state court in New York, accuses Mary Trump of breaching a settlement agreement by disclosing tax records she received in a dispute over family patriarch Fred Trump’s estate.
The suit alleges Mary Trump, the Times, and at least three of its reporters “engaged in an insidious plot to obtain confidential and highly-sensitive records” about the former president’s finances, The Washington Post reports.
Donald Trump claims he suffered at least $100 million in damages as a result of the alleged activity, the suit reportedly says.
In a statement, Mary Trump said of her uncle, “I think he is a loser, and he is going to throw anything against the wall he can. It’s desperation.”
A Times spokesperson said the lawsuit “is an attempt to silence independent news organizations and we plan to vigorously defend against it.”
