Author Michael Wolff’s lawsuit: Why the journalist - biographer is suing First Lady Melania Trump
Amid controversy over Jeffrey Epstein’s relationships with those in power, another lawsuit has entered the story.
When Michael Wolff filed a complaint this week in the New York state Supreme Court, it wasn’t just another media martini being shaken.
At the centre of the lawsuit is his claim that First Lady Melania Trump threatened him with a staggering libel demand—more than US$1 billion—over remarks he made linking her, however loosely, to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The writer, known for his quartet of books on the Trump administration - Fire and Fury, Seige, Landslide, and All or Nothing - maintains that the demands against him are less about correcting inaccuracies and more about chilling commentary and inquiry.
In his filing, he accuses Melania Trump and her husband, former reality TV star Donald Trump, of deploying legal threats “to silence their speech… to intimidate their critics generally" and to discourage investigation into their past associations, the latter of which is certainly in Trump’s rulebook during his second administration.
🚨HOLY SHIT: Biographer Michael Wolff says Melania threatened to sue him for a BILLION dollars over claims about her and Epstein…
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) October 23, 2025
But he HIT BACK!
He has filed for declaratory judgment - which allows him to ask her and Trump about Epstein UNDER OATH!!pic.twitter.com/xIOxiEgorr
As detailed in his complaint, the dispute comes from comments made by Wolff in various media, including interviews and social-media posts, where he suggested Melania Trump had been “very involved” in Epstein’s social circles and connected to how the Trump-Epstein relationship evolved. He emphasises that he did not say she committed crimes, but contends the statements were his opinions and thus legally protected.
This clash arrives in the midst of broader context of the controversy surrounding Epstein’s ties to high-profile figures such as the Trump family; Wolff says the demand for billions of dollars as a textbook example of a SLAPP suit, one designed to discourage public participation and free speech regarding such issues.
Melania’s camp fired out of the blocks and responded swiftly, with her spokesman issuing a statement asserting that she will “continue standing up to those who spread malicious and defamatory falsehoods… while seeking undeserved attention and money.”
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