Melania Trump filed lawsuit accusing Mail Media of hurting her ability to build a profitable brand.
A day after Melania Trump filed a lawsuit accusing a British news company of hurting her ability to build a profitable brand, her representatives issued a statement saying that the first lady "has no intention" of using her public position for personal gain.
"It is not a possibility," said a statement issued simultaneously Tuesday by a spokeswoman for Melania Trump and a law firm representing her. "Any statements to the contrary are being misinterpreted."
The lawsuit filed Monday in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan says that the first lady's ability to sell "Melania" brand jewelry and other goods had been damaged at a critical time by a defamatory news story.
The suit alleges that an article published in August falsely claimed that she once worked for an escort service and that the assertion hurt her ability to build "multimillion dollar business relationships for a multi-year term during which Plaintiff is one of the most photographed women in the world."
The suit against Mail Media, the owner of the Daily Mail, says the article caused Trump's brand, Melania, to lose "major business opportunities." The complaint said the article had damaged her "unique, once in a lifetime opportunity" to "launch a broad-based commercial brand" during this period.
Neither the lawyer who filed the suit, Charles Harder of Beverly Hills, nor the White House responded to requests for comment.
The lawsuit did not detail a specific plan by Trump to market her products during her tenure as first lady but mentioned that her reputation had suffered as she is experiencing a "multi-year term" of elevated publicity. The suit also said the Daily Mail article "impugned her fitness to perform her duties" as first lady.
A similar suit had been filed in September against Mail Media and a local blogger in Maryland. A Maryland judge recently dismissed the case against the Daily Mail on jurisdictional grounds. On Tuesday, the law firm representing the first lady said she had settled with the Gaithersburg blogger, Webster Tarpley, who agreed to apologize and pay her a "substantial sum," according to the law firm representing her. The firm, Harder, Mirell & Abrams based in Beverly Hills, declined to provide the settlement amount.
The Daily Mail article was eventually retracted with a statement from the news organization that it didn't "intend to state or suggest that Mrs. Trump ever worked as an 'escort' or in the sex business." The original article provided denials from Trump's spokesman. But the lawsuit cites significant emotional and economic damage and asks for compensatory and punitive damages of at least $150 million.
Mail Media, in Maryland court filings, responded that the article was acceptable because it "discussed allegations that had been disseminated about the then-potential first lady, and the impact even false rumors could have on the presidential race."
The new suit comes as Melania Trump continues to shy away from the spotlight, taking an unusually low-profile approach thus far to her role as first lady. She has continued to live in New York, and has moved slowly to hire a White House staff.
The language in the suit drew criticism immediately. Richard Painter, a White House ethics counsel under former president George W. Bush and a critic of President Donald Trump's decision to retain ownership of his real estate and branding empire while in office, said he was troubled by the clear suggestion in the suit that Melania Trump intended to make money from her public role. He said as drafted it "would appear to be an abuse of public office for private gain" by the Trumps.
On Tuesday, Painter said the new statement from the White House and the California lawyer "directly contradict the claims made in the complaint" and make the initial complaint misleading. "It should be immediately amended," he said. Painter, a professor of legal ethics, is participating in a lawsuit claiming that President Trump's relationship with his company violates a constitutional provision barring presidents from taking money or gifts from foreign governments.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"It is not a possibility," said a statement issued simultaneously Tuesday by a spokeswoman for Melania Trump and a law firm representing her. "Any statements to the contrary are being misinterpreted."
The lawsuit filed Monday in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan says that the first lady's ability to sell "Melania" brand jewelry and other goods had been damaged at a critical time by a defamatory news story.
The suit alleges that an article published in August falsely claimed that she once worked for an escort service and that the assertion hurt her ability to build "multimillion dollar business relationships for a multi-year term during which Plaintiff is one of the most photographed women in the world."
The suit against Mail Media, the owner of the Daily Mail, says the article caused Trump's brand, Melania, to lose "major business opportunities." The complaint said the article had damaged her "unique, once in a lifetime opportunity" to "launch a broad-based commercial brand" during this period.
Neither the lawyer who filed the suit, Charles Harder of Beverly Hills, nor the White House responded to requests for comment.
The lawsuit did not detail a specific plan by Trump to market her products during her tenure as first lady but mentioned that her reputation had suffered as she is experiencing a "multi-year term" of elevated publicity. The suit also said the Daily Mail article "impugned her fitness to perform her duties" as first lady.
A similar suit had been filed in September against Mail Media and a local blogger in Maryland. A Maryland judge recently dismissed the case against the Daily Mail on jurisdictional grounds. On Tuesday, the law firm representing the first lady said she had settled with the Gaithersburg blogger, Webster Tarpley, who agreed to apologize and pay her a "substantial sum," according to the law firm representing her. The firm, Harder, Mirell & Abrams based in Beverly Hills, declined to provide the settlement amount.
The Daily Mail article was eventually retracted with a statement from the news organization that it didn't "intend to state or suggest that Mrs. Trump ever worked as an 'escort' or in the sex business." The original article provided denials from Trump's spokesman. But the lawsuit cites significant emotional and economic damage and asks for compensatory and punitive damages of at least $150 million.
Mail Media, in Maryland court filings, responded that the article was acceptable because it "discussed allegations that had been disseminated about the then-potential first lady, and the impact even false rumors could have on the presidential race."
The new suit comes as Melania Trump continues to shy away from the spotlight, taking an unusually low-profile approach thus far to her role as first lady. She has continued to live in New York, and has moved slowly to hire a White House staff.
The language in the suit drew criticism immediately. Richard Painter, a White House ethics counsel under former president George W. Bush and a critic of President Donald Trump's decision to retain ownership of his real estate and branding empire while in office, said he was troubled by the clear suggestion in the suit that Melania Trump intended to make money from her public role. He said as drafted it "would appear to be an abuse of public office for private gain" by the Trumps.
On Tuesday, Painter said the new statement from the White House and the California lawyer "directly contradict the claims made in the complaint" and make the initial complaint misleading. "It should be immediately amended," he said. Painter, a professor of legal ethics, is participating in a lawsuit claiming that President Trump's relationship with his company violates a constitutional provision barring presidents from taking money or gifts from foreign governments.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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