A New York state judge, Justice Robert R. Reed, has ruled that former President Donald Trump must pay The New York Times almost $400,000 in legal fees related to a failed lawsuit filed against the newspaper in 2021.
The order includes attorneys’ fees, legal costs, and expenses, totaling approximately $393,000. This amount encompasses $229,931 for the Times and journalists Susanne Craig and Russell Buettner, along with $162,717 for David Barstow, another journalist from the paper.
Background of the Lawsuit
Trump’s lawsuit, seeking $100 million in damages, was filed in 2021 and targeted The New York Times, his estranged niece Mary Trump, and others.
The legal action alleged an insidious plot by Mary Trump and the Times’ journalists to obtain confidential records for their benefit, legitimizing their Pulitzer Prize-winning series on Trump’s undisclosed finances, published in 2018.
However, Justice Reed dismissed the lawsuit last year, asserting that Trump’s claims against the Times “fail as a matter of constitutional law.”
In response to the failed lawsuit, Justice Reed has now ordered Trump to cover the legal expenses of The New York Times.
Trump’s attorneys contested the amount sought by the defendants, describing it as “exorbitant, excessive, and unreasonable.”
The New York Times and its journalists welcomed the judge’s decision. A spokesperson for the Times, Danielle Rhoades Ha, issued a statement praising the court’s message against those attempting to misuse the legal system to silence journalists.
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Trump Legal Action
While expressing disappointment over the outcome, Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, stated that the former president intends to pursue claims against Mary Trump. Despite the Times being no longer involved in the matter, the court affirmed the strength of claims against Mary Trump, denying her attempt to evade accountability.
Mary Trump’s motion to dismiss the case against her was denied by the court last year. She appealed this decision in June, and this week, the judge rejected a stay of her case pending appeal. The court has ordered her to appear virtually for a preliminary conference on Feb. 13, signaling that the legal proceedings will continue.
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