On Thursday, Melania Trump filed suit in Montgomery County, Maryland, seeking $75 million each from a blogger and Britain's Daily Mail for publishing articles alleging that, before marrying Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, she had worked as a high-end "escort." The defendants, the Daily Mail and blogger Webster Tarpley, "made several statements about Mrs. Trump that are 100 percent false and tremendously damaging to her personal and professional reputation," said Charles Harder, Melania Trump's lawyer. "Defendants' actions are so egregious, malicious, and harmful to Mrs. Trump that her damages are estimated at $150 million." Harder is most famous for ruinously suing Gawker Media on behalf of Hulk Hogan.
Tarpley has retracted his claims, and the Daily Mail published a retraction and apology on Thursday evening. Its article "noted that allegations have been made" that Trump worked for a Milan modeling agency that "was 'something like a gentleman's club,'" and a Slovenian article alleged "Mrs. Trump's modeling agency in New York, run by Paolo Zampolli, 'operated as an escort agency for wealthy clients,'" the Daily Mail said. "The point of the article was that these allegations could impact the U.S. presidential election even if they are untrue." The retraction continued:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Today's political cartoons - March 8, 2025Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - trade wars, healthcare costs, and more
-
Marbled tea eggs recipeThe Week Recommends With a beautiful exterior, these eggs are also marked by their soft yolk
-
The Washington Post: kowtowing to Trump?Talking Point The newspaper's opinion editor has handed in his notice following edict from Jeff Bezos
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of businessSpeed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pausesSpeed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocksSpeed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor dealSpeed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US SteelSpeed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons mergerSpeed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battleSpeed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rallySpeed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
