Melania Trump Hires “The Hulk” Attorney to Sue Publication and a Blogger

Melania Trump, wife of the Republican nominee for U.S. President, filed a defamation lawsuit on Thursday against Mail Media, parent company of the UK publication, The Daily Mail, as well as a blogger named Webster Griffin Tarpley.

In a complaint lodged in Maryland Circuit Court, Ms. Trump is taking issue with an Aug. 19 article entitled, "Naked photoshoots, and troubling questions about visas that won't go away: The VERY racy past of Donald Trump's Slovenian wife."

She is represented by Charles Harder, the same attorney who handled Hulk Hogan's privacy suit in a victory for the former professional wrestler that bankrupted Gawker Media with a $140 million verdict.

The story in The Daily Mail covered Trump's journey to New York in the mid-1990s and raised questions about her past based on "highly-charged, lesbian-themed, nude photographs," the exact timing of when she traveled to the U.S. on a visa, and her stint working for a modeling agency. The article relied on the work of a Slovenian journalist who had co-authored an unauthorized biography of Ms. Trump as well as a report early last month in a Slovenian magazine to make the claim that her modeling agency was run by a New York entrepreneur, who allegedly also operated an escort agency for wealthy clients.

The article stated, "What Melania's [composite card] looked like only the people involved know, but it is no coincidence she got a rich husband."

According to Trump's lawsuit, "The statements of fact in the Daily Mail Article are false. Plaintiff did legitimate and legal modeling work for legitimate business entities and did not work for any 'gentleman's club' or 'escort' agencies. Plaintiff was not a sex worker, escort or prostitute in any way, shape or form, nor did she ever have a composite or presentation card for the sex business. Plaintiff did not come to the United States until 1996. Thus, Plaintiff did not, and could not have participated in a photo shoot in the United States or met her current husband in the United States prior to that time."

The lawsuit follows legal threats sent out by Trump's lawyer to a number of publications including Politico. 

Trump asserts that the The Daily Mail consciously doubted the truth of the claims in the article, but decided to publish it anyway, and that reporters there can't simply rely on "unsubstantiated" claims and "an unauthorized book written by malicious and bitter 'reporters' who have never met or spoken to Ms. Trump."

"The conduct of Daily Mail was despicable, abhorrent, intentional, malicious and oppressive, and thus justifies an award of punitive damages," states the complaint.

Besides defamation, Trump is also suing for tortious interference, contending that the published statements have gotten in the way of her "numerous" licensing and endorsement deals.

As for Tarpley, there's not much background on who this person is besides that he's an individual residing in Gaithersburg, Maryland and runs a blog on his own website.

In early April, Tarpley is said to have published a post entitled, "Where Is Melania Trump."

According to the complaint, the post talked about "rumors" that she was having an "apoplectic fit" after the "plagiarism incident" at the GOP convention. Tarpley's blog also mentioned she was "reportedly obsessed by fear of salacious revelations by wealthy clients from her time as a high-end escort."

Among the many many other statements in the blog post, Tarpley also allegedly wrote, "It is speculated that Trump will attempt to hide Melania's breakdown and rejection of campaigning from the media and the public for as long as possible."

Tarpley is said to have removed the blog post on Aug. 22 and published an apology and retraction. Nevertheless, he’s being sued in what could be a message to all others out there on the internet who might gossip about Donald Trump’s wife.

Eriq Gardner

Hollywood Reporter

This lawsuit will bring into the open Melania Trump’s past way beyond what was published about her.  Is this what she wants?   She is married to someone with a good track record of suing when he is displeased about what is being said. Needless to say they could not be happy with the Daily Mail story.
On Aug. 23 Adamfoxie Blog posted a story from Vanity Fair in which it claimed Melania Trump lied to the government on her schooling when she applied for a permit to work in the US.
{http://adamfoxie.blogspot.com/2016/08/trumps-wife-bites-bullet-one-more-time.html}