New York court judge dismissed the attempt filed to block the publication of the upcoming tell-all book by the President’s niece, Mary L.
Trump.
Queens County Surrogate Court Judge Peter J. Kelly dismissed the case filed Tuesday by the President’s brother, Robert S. Trump, citing a lack of jurisdiction.
Ted Boutrous, the renowned First Amendment attorney who represents Mary Trump praised the court’s decision, as he mentioned in a statement:
“The court has promptly and correctly held that it lacks jurisdiction to grant the Trump family’s baseless request to suppress a book of utmost public importance. We hope this decision will end the matter.”
“Democracy thrives on the free exchange of ideas, and neither this court nor any other has authority to violate the Constitution by imposing a prior restraint on core political speech,” Boutrous added.
Charles Harder, the attorney representing Robert Trump and the President, expressed their intention to continue to pursue legal action.
“Robert Trump, Mary Trump and the other family members who settled in 2001, agreed to jurisdiction of future disputes in the Surrogate’s Court of Queens County, New York,” he said in a statement. “This matter therefore was filed in that court.”
“Today, the Surrogate’s Court ruled that it does not have jurisdiction over the dispute,” Harder added. “Therefore, Robert Trump will proceed with filing a new lawsuit in the New York State Supreme Court.”
The motion filed in the Queens County Surrogate court in New York to obtain a temporary restraining order argues that Mary Trump’s book broke a confidentiality agreement.
The filing states that after the death of Fred Trump, litigation ensued over his will, in which the settlement includes a confidentiality provision that was agreed upon by all parties, including Mary Trump.
A representative for Simon & Schuster, the book’s publisher, said in a statement that the company was “delighted” with the court’s Thursday decision.
“We look forward to publishing Mary L. Trump’s TOO MUCH AND NEVER ENOUGH and are confident we will prevail should there be further efforts to stifle this publication.”