Former President Donald Trump and his niece, Mary Trump, have settled a $100 million lawsuit stemming from allegations that she leaked his tax records to the New York Times. The lawsuit, filed in 2021, accused Mary Trump of violating confidentiality agreements tied to the 2001 settlement of Fred Trump Sr.’s estate. Both parties filed a letter with a New York state court on Tuesday, announcing the settlement and anticipating a formal dismissal in the coming weeks. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Core Facts and Developments
The lawsuit centered on Mary Trump’s role in the 2018 New York Times investigation into Trump’s finances, which alleged tax avoidance and fraud. Trump claimed his niece “smuggled” his tax records from her attorney’s office, violating confidentiality agreements. Mary Trump, a psychologist, later identified herself as a source in her 2020 book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.
Legal and Financial Context
In May 2024, a state appeals court upheld a “substantial” legal basis for Trump’s confidentiality claim but suggested he might only be entitled to nominal damages. A judge previously dismissed related claims against the New York Times and ordered Trump to pay $392,639 in legal fees. Mary Trump’s separate lawsuit against Trump and his siblings, alleging financial fraud, was dismissed in 2022.
Opposing Perspectives
Trump’s legal team argued that Mary Trump and the Times engaged in an “insidious plot” to exploit his tax records for financial and political gain. Mary Trump’s lawyers countered that the lawsuit violated New York’s anti-SLAPP law, designed to protect free speech from frivolous litigation. The case highlighted tensions between Trump’s legal efforts to shield his financial records and Mary Trump’s public criticism of her uncle.