**NEW YORK** — A federal judge dismissed journalist Michael Wolff’s lawsuit against first lady Melania Trump, calling it a “contorted” attempt to obtain a preemptive ruling and “not how the federal courts work.”
U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, sitting in Manhattan, said the case showed “an inappropriate level of tactical gamesmanship.” She wrote that she would not be “conscripted to oversee an abusively presented spat,” while recognizing that both sides have a “real dispute” that should be litigated under ordinary procedures.
The dispute began after Melania Trump’s lawyer, Alejandro Brito, sent Wolff a demand letter last year seeking deletion of statements about the first lady and warning that she would have “no alternative” but to sue if he refused. Wolff then filed suit in New York state court in October, seeking a declaration that his remarks were not defamatory and that a threatened action would violate anti-SLAPP protections.
Brito had the complaint removed to federal court. Vyskocil found that the court had jurisdiction but declined to exercise it, dismissing the case “to be litigated like any other.” The ruling did not decide whether Wolff’s statements were defamatory.
A spokesperson for Melania Trump said she “is proud to continue standing up to, and fighting against, those who spread malicious and defamatory falsehoods as they desperately try to get undeserved attention and money from their unlawful conduct.” Brito has said Wolff’s comments caused “overwhelming reputational and financial harm.”
The first lady has denied any association with Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex-trafficking charges. “The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said at an April news conference. “The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility, and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.”
Wolff’s complaint argued that the president and first lady “have made a practice of threatening those who speak against them” with costly litigation “to silence their speech.” He said some remarks were taken out of context and that others, including a description of a “sham marriage, trophy marriage,” were protected opinion. He also said he never accused the first lady of criminal conduct tied to Epstein.
The Daily Beast last summer retracted an article titled “Melania Trump ‘Very Involved’ in Epstein Scandal: Author,” which was based on an interview with Wolff, after receiving a letter from Brito. In that interview, Wolff said the first lady was “behind the scenes” dealing with the situation at the White House but was not involved criminally.
The dismissal leaves the underlying dispute unresolved. Any defamation claim, if pursued, would have to proceed in the ordinary course rather than through Wolff’s preemptive New York filing.
