Donald Trump Suffers Another Legal Defeat as Judge Tosses Out Lawsuit Vs. New York Times

Former President Donald Trump's legal woes continue after a judge tossed out his 2018 lawsuit against the New York Times. This was over a 2018 series that the newspaper ran regarding the Trump family's wealth and income, as well as their tax practices.

According to court documents, Trump accused the newspaper and three of its investigative reporters of being "motivated by a personal vendetta" against him by trying to "relentlessly pursue" his estranged niece, Mary Trump, to give them information about the Trump family and convince her to turn over confidential documents.

The ex-POTUS was reportedly asking for $100 million in damages from the New York Times, with Mary Trump also being named as one of the lawsuit's defendants, according to the Associated Press.

However, Judge Robert Reed of the New York State Supreme Court stated in his ruling that Trump's claims "fail as a matter of constitutional law." He ruled that what The New York Times and its investigative reporters did was legal and "at the very core of protected First Amendment activity."

Because of this, Judge Reed ordered the former president to pay for the newspaper's and reporters' legal expenses. However, it seems that Trump is not giving up despite the ruling, with lawyer Alina Habba saying that they are still weighing his legal options and that the journalists must be held accountable for "civil wrongs."

Despite this, the New York Times series, reported by Susanne Craig, David Barstow, and Russ Buettner, still won the Pulitzer Prize in explanatory reporting. It challenged the ex-POTUS's claims that he was a "self-made" billionaire as his father, Fred Trump, reportedly gave him at least $413 million over the decades and has even taught him several tax avoidance schemes.

Third Accuser Testifies in Donald Trump Rape Trial

The former president did not just have his lawsuit thrown out, but his civil rape trial also continued in New York.

This time, a third accuser, former People magazine writer Natasha Stoynoff, testified before a New York jury and talked about her being sexually assaulted by Trump at Mar-a-Lago back in 2005.

According to ABC News, the incident happened at Mar-a-Lago during Trump's first wedding anniversary with Melania. He reportedly invited Stoynoff to see one of the rooms inside his estate.

However, the People Magazine writer testified that once inside, Trump shut the door behind him, pushed her against the wall, and started kissing her. She tried pushing him away, but he kept coming toward her and continued kissing, with her admitting that she could not stop him.

Donald Trump Will Not Present a Defense Witness, Says Lawyer

Donald Trump's defense against E. Jean Carroll's civil rape case against him has also hit another snag, as an expert witness they were supposed to put forward would not be able to testify because of "health issues," according to NBC News.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan was told by Trump's defense attorney Joe Tacopina that the defense would not put forward any witnesses anymore because of their witness not being able to testify. Previously, the defense only had two witnesses, and both were experts.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: How Trump's pattern of behavior strengthens E. Jean Carroll's case against him - MSNBC