US First Lady Melania Trump has appealed to the Federal Court for the Southern District of New York to punish journalist and writer Michael Wolff, stating that he abused the court process.
Modern.az reports that in a 26-page legal motion, Melania Trump's lawyers demanded that Wolff, author of "Fire and Fury," pay all court and legal defense costs incurred by the First Lady.
The dispute began after Melania Trump's lawyer, Alejandro Britton, sent a letter to Michael Wolff demanding that he retract his statements linking the First Lady to Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of sex trafficking crimes. The letter stated that otherwise, a $1 billion defamation lawsuit would be filed against the journalist.
Instead, Michael Wolff filed a lawsuit against Melania Trump in October last year, seeking pre-emptive recognition of his innocence in the event of a possible defamation claim.
Melania Trump's legal team claims that the journalist turned the court process into a political show, widely advertised it in the media, and raised more than $836,000 through this campaign.
In May of this year, Manhattan Federal Court Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil completely dismissed journalist Michael Wolff's lawsuit. The judge stated in her decision that federal courts do not rule in advance on hypothetical future claims and called the journalist's legal arguments "almost unrecognizably distorted."
Now, Melania Trump's lawyers believe that Wolff and his legal defenders should be sanctioned for abusing the court process.
Melania Trump vehemently denies any connection to Jeffrey Epstein. It is reported that she previously received an official apology and retraction from "Daily Beast" regarding similar accusations.
