Judge forces Donald Trump to pay New York Times nearly $400,000 in legal fees

On Friday, a New York judge ordered former President Donald J. Trump to pay The New York Times $392,638 in legal fees, according to the Associated Press.

In 2021, Trump sued the paper and three of its investigative reporters for releasing a report disclosing his confidential tax records.

These records, according to Trump's lawsuit, were obtained from his estranged niece, Mary Trump. The lawsuit claims that The New York Times and its reporters Susanne Craig, David Barstow, and Russell Buettner "relentlessly" sought out his niece in an attempt to obtain the records. Mary Trump, who remains the sole defendant, is accused of breaching a prior settlement agreement by giving tax records to the reporters, the suit states.

Judge Robert Reed of New York ruled that it was reasonable to require Donald Trump to pay $392,638 in legal expenses to the Times and the reporters due to the "complexity of the issues" in the case as well as other considerations, according to AP.

However, Reed denied in a separate ruling on Friday a motion by Mary Trump, the former president's niece, to halt the case pending an appeal of his June ruling that permitted the progression of Donald Trump's claim against her.

Trump attorney Alina Habba said that they remain disappointed in the judge's decision to drop the Times and its reporters from the case but are pleased that the court has "once again affirmed the strength of our claims against Mary and is denying her attempt to avoid accountability."
 

"We look forward to proceeding with our claims against her," said Habba.

Danielle Rhoads Ha, a spokesperson for the New York Times, said following the ruling: "Today's decision shows that the state's newly amended anti-SLAPP statute can be a powerful force for protecting press freedom."

"The court has sent a message to those who want to misuse the judicial system to try to silence journalists," said Rhoads Ha.

Donald Trump had sought $100 million in damages against the Times, its reporters, and Mary Trump on allegations that they were "motivated by a personal vendetta" against him. The complaint accuses them of engaging "in an insidious plot to obtain confidential and highly sensitive records which they exploited for their own benefit."