Melania Trump filed a $150 million lawsuit against The Daily Mail on Thursday for reporting what she said was a false story about her about her involvement in an escort service, CNN Money reported.
The suit, filed in state court in Montgomery County, Maryland, alleged that stories in The Daily Mail and a blog called Tarpley, which was also named as a defendant, made statements that were hurtful to Trump’s career and personal life.
“These defendants made several statements about Mrs. Trump that are 100% false and tremendously damaging to her personal and professional reputation,” Trump’s lawyer, Charles Harder, said in a statement, as quoted by CNN Money.
“Defendants broadcast their lies to millions of people throughout the U.S. and the world—without any justification,” the statement from Harder continued. “Their many lies include, among others, that Mrs. Trump supposedly was an ‘escort’ in the 1990s before she met her husband. Defendants’ actions are so egregious, malicious and harmful to Mrs. Trump that her damages are estimated at $150 million dollars.”
Harder had represented the wrestler Hulk Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, in the defamation suit he won against Gawker Media and that ended up bankrupting that company. He served the Daily Mail and at least eight other outlets last week with a notice of possible legal action.
Tarpley issued a retraction and an apology for its post prior to being sued, as Guardian writer Ben Jacobs pointed out.
