Justice Department drops lawsuit against former friend of Melania Trump
The Justice Department on Monday dropped an unprecedented civil lawsuit filed in October against Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, an ex-friend and aide to former first lady Melania Trump.
Wolkoff's book, Melania and Me, was published in September. The tell-all includes details on Trump's relationship with her stepdaughter Ivanka Trump, her complaints about decorating the White House for Christmas, and her thoughts on migrant children being separated from their parents as part of the Trump administration's zero tolerance policy. The Justice Department claimed that Wolkoff's book violated a non-disclosure agreement she signed, and asked for all of Melania and Me's profits to go into a government trust.
In a Monday court filing, the Justice Department did not explain why it was dropping the case, and an official would only tell Politico that the department "evaluated the case and concluded that dismissal without prejudice was in the best interests of the United States based on the facts and the law."
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.
The lawsuit was filed during the tenure of former Attorney General William Barr, and critics said he appeared to be taking on the role of Melania Trump's personal lawyer and fixer. "This is a complete abuse of the Justice Department to pursue this case for personal reasons," attorney Mark Zaid tweeted at the time. "And it's legally unenforceable."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
ABC News to pay $15M in Trump defamation suit
Speed Read The lawsuit stemmed from George Stephanopoulos' on-air assertion that Trump was found liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments law
Speed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'
Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security law
Speed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitution
speed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidence
Speed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulations
Speed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriage
Speed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published