Defamation

• 2016: A 70-year-old blogger from Maryland and London's Daily Mail published allegations that Melania Trump had worked as a professional high-end escort during the time she was allegedly working as a model. “Three months ago, a 70-year-old political blogger operating from his Maryland townhouse let it rip. ‘Where is Melania Trump?’ he asked, going on to offer an answer: The potential first lady was reportedly having a nervous breakdown after her controversial GOP convention speech and her fears that a secret past would be revealed. ‘It is also widely known that Melania was not a working model but rather a high end escort,’ wrote Webster Tarpley in a blog post that would come to be quoted in court filings. Tarpley, a Princeton University graduate, has also asserted that President Obama is a puppet of Wall Street and that the 9/11 attacks were a ‘false-flag’ operation. Tarpley's claims about Melania Trump, posted in the heat of the campaign, were followed by similar allegations published in the Daily Mail, a British tabloid. Both pieces attracted the attention of Melania Trump and her attorneys, and both publications posted retractions.” (Washington Post, November 13, 2016)
• September 1, 2016: Melania Trump filed a defamation lawsuit against the blogger and the Daily Mail. “On Sept. 1, in Montgomery County Circuit Court, Melania Trump sued Tarpley and the Daily Mail for defamation. Her attorneys cited a series of published allegations, including those made in Tarpley's blog post, according to court records. Now, as Melania Trump readies to become first lady, the lawsuit shows no signs of slowing down. ‘These are some of the most inflammatory allegations possible,’ her attorneys wrote in their most recent filing. ‘Tarpley acted with reckless disregard for the truth.’” (Washington Post, November 13, 2016)