A federal judge has dismissed journalist Michael Wolff’s preemptive lawsuit against First Lady Melania Trump, criticizing it as a procedurally improper attempt to gain an advantage in a potential defamation case. Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil acknowledged that a genuine dispute exists between the two parties but ruled that Wolff could not ask the court to decide the outcome of a lawsuit that had not yet been filed.
The dispute stems from Wolff’s statements linking Melania Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. Her attorney had demanded that Wolff remove the statements and threatened legal action over alleged reputational damage. The judge emphasized that both sides must follow normal legal procedures, clarifying that the dismissal did not determine the truth of the underlying allegations.