On Wednesday, a New York judge dismissed former President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against The New York Times and three of its reporters over a 2018 article alleging Trump engaged in “suspect tax schemes.” The piece’s three authors, David Barstow, Susanne Craig, and Russ Buettner, went on to win the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in explanatory reporting.
Mr. Trump’s lawsuit against the paper and its journalists was dismissed by New York Supreme Court Justice Robert Reed, who also held him financially responsible for their attorneys’ fees and other costs incurred, writing in his opinion that Mr. Trump’s claims “fail as a matter of constitutional law.”
“Courts have long recognized that reporters are entitled to engage in legal and ordinary newsgathering activities without fear of tort liability — as these actions are at the very core of protected First Amendment activity,” Reed continued.
In late 2021, Trump filed a lawsuit against The Times, the three reporters, and his niece, Mary Trump, alleging that the paper engaged in an “insidious plot” to obtain illegal copies of his confidential tax documents through Mary Trump and then exploit them. According to The New York Times, Trump’s attorneys claimed that by providing the paper with Trump’s 20-year-old tax documents, his niece violated a 1999 court ruling involving the will of the former president’s father, Fred C. Trump.
Reed claimed that Mary Trump “owned the files she disclosed to The Times, and thus there was nothing wrongful” in the paper and its reporters requesting the documents from her for journalistic purposes.
While Reed dismissed the claims against The Times, Barstow, Craig, and Buettner, she has yet to rule on the claims against Mary Trump. It is unclear when a decision will be reached.
“The New York Times is pleased with the judge’s decision today,” a spokesperson for the paper told CBS News in a statement. “It is an important precedent reaffirming that the press is protected when it engages in routine newsgathering to obtain information of vital importance to the public.”
In a statement, Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, said, “All journalists must be held accountable when they commit civil wrongs.” The New York Times is no exception, with its reporters going far beyond the traditional news-gathering techniques allowed by the First Amendment. We will weigh our client’s options in light of the Court’s decision and continue to fight on his behalf vigorously.” She did not say whether they would file an appeal.
This is not Trump’s first unsuccessful lawsuit against The New York Times. In 2020, the former president sued the paper for libel, claiming it incorrectly reported “as fact a conspiracy with Russia” in a 2019 opinion piece. In 2021, the lawsuit was dismissed.
