A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by author Michael Wolff against first lady Melania Trump, ruling that Wolff could not use the court to preemptively block a possible defamation case against him.
Wolff, who has written several books about President Donald Trump, sued Melania Trump after her legal team threatened a major defamation lawsuit over comments he made linking her to Jeffrey Epstein.
U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil ruled that Wolff’s case was filed in an improper way. She said Wolff was essentially asking the court to declare that he would win if Melania Trump sued him later.
The judge said that is not how federal courts work.
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Wolff had argued that Melania Trump’s legal threats were meant to intimidate him and silence his speech. His lawsuit relied on anti-SLAPP laws, which are designed to protect people from meritless lawsuits intended to chill free speech.
But the judge said Wolff’s lawsuit was preemptive and procedurally flawed. She wrote that while Wolff and Melania Trump clearly have a real dispute, they must litigate it through the normal legal process.
The dispute began after Melania Trump’s attorney demanded that Wolff retract statements connected to the Trump administration’s handling of files related to Epstein. Her lawyer said the comments had caused reputational and financial harm.
Wolff filed his lawsuit in New York before Melania Trump filed any defamation case. The judge criticized that move as tactical and said Wolff was trying to win “the race to the courthouse.”
The ruling did not decide whether Wolff’s statements were defamatory. Instead, the judge declined to reach the merits of the dispute and dismissed the case.
The decision means that if Melania Trump chooses to pursue a defamation lawsuit, that case would have to move forward through the ordinary legal process.
The ruling marks a legal victory for Melania Trump and leaves open the possibility of further litigation between the two sides.
Judge tosses Michael Wolff’s lawsuit against Melania Trump, calls it ‘contorted’ and not how ‘courts work’ https://t.co/I4I88M1pAJ pic.twitter.com/vGfHxr6c3N
— New York Post (@nypost) May 23, 2026
