Trump settles tax-records lawsuit against niece Mary Trump
President Donald Trump has settled his $100 million lawsuit accusing his niece Mary Trump of improperly leaking his tax records to The New York Times, both sides told a Manhattan court this week.
The parties announced the deal in a letter filed June 16 with a New York state court, and said they expect to seek a formal dismissal in the coming weeks. No terms were disclosed, and the dismissal would be with prejudice, meaning Trump could not sue again, Reuters reported.
"The parties are pleased to report they have reached a settlement," the letter said, according to court records reviewed by Newsweek.
What the lawsuit alleged
Trump sued his niece in 2021, accusing her of joining what his complaint called an "insidious plot" with the Times to exploit his tax records. He said Mary Trump violated confidentiality provisions of a 2001 settlement over the estate of his father, Fred Trump Sr., who died in 1999.
The case centered on a 2018 Times investigation that reported Fred Trump had given his son at least $413 million over the years, including through what the newspaper described as tax-avoidance schemes. The reporting won a Pulitzer Prize. Mary Trump, a psychologist, identified herself as a source in her 2020 best-seller, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man.
How the case unfolded
A judge dismissed Trump's related claims against the Times and its reporters in 2023 and later ordered him to pay $392,639 of their legal fees, The News International reported. The claims against Mary Trump were allowed to proceed.
In May 2024, a New York appeals court found a "substantial" basis for Trump's confidentiality claim but signaled the payoff could be small. The five-judge panel wrote that "at a minimum, nominal damages may still be available on the breach of contract claim even in the absence of actual damages," well short of the $100 million Trump sought, Reuters reported.
Mary Trump's lawyers had argued the suit was an effort to silence a critic. "Mr. Trump wields the confidentiality provision as if it were virtually unlimited in scope and time," they wrote in court filings, contending the case violated a New York law barring frivolous suits aimed at chilling free speech. Such measures are explained in our guide to how anti-SLAPP laws protect free speech.
A long family feud
The settlement ends one of the more personal legal fights in the president's orbit. Mary Trump, a frequent public critic of her uncle, separately sued Trump and two of his siblings in 2020, accusing them of defrauding her out of a multimillion-dollar inheritance tied to the family estate; a judge dismissed that case in 2022, Reuters reported. Disputes like it often turn on the estate-planning documents at the center of a family's wealth, an area shaped by rules such as the federal estate tax exemption.
Reports differ on the exact framing of the announcement: Reuters described the filing as a joint letter from both sides, while Newsweek characterized it as a settlement reported in court records reviewed by the outlet. Lawyers for Donald Trump and Mary Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the outlets reported.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the lawsuit about?
Trump accused his niece Mary Trump of improperly leaking his tax records to The New York Times for a 2018 investigation, in violation of a 2001 family settlement's confidentiality terms.
What were the settlement terms?
No terms were disclosed. The parties said they expect to seek a dismissal with prejudice in the coming weeks, meaning Trump could not refile the claim.
How much did Trump seek?
Trump sought $100 million. A 2024 appeals ruling suggested he might recover only nominal damages even if he prevailed on the breach-of-contract claim.
What happened to the claims against The New York Times?
A judge dismissed Trump's claims against the Times and its reporters in 2023 and later ordered him to pay $392,639 of their legal fees.
Sources
Reporting compiled from court records and the cited source outlets.