Melania Trump Escalates $1B Feud With 'Preposterous' New Legal Move Against Author Over Epstein Claims

Melania Trump has escalated her $1 billion feud with author Michael Wolff in a New York federal court, asking a judge to sanction his legal team over a failed attempt to shield his reporting about Jeffrey Epstein.

At a hearing in Manhattan, lawyers for Melania confirmed they plan to seek penalties against Wolff's side, accusing him and his counsel of bringing a frivolous anti‑SLAPP lawsuit that was already dismissed in May.

The sanctions motion targets Wolff's bid to use press‑freedom laws after the first lady threatened to sue him for $1 billion over his Epstein‑related claims about the Trump family.

Michael Wolff has called Melania Trump's latest move 'preposterous' and says it is part of a broader pattern of 'Trump‑style litigation' designed to bleed opponents and drag disputes out.

Melania Trump Wants Wolff Punished For 'Frivolous' Lawsuit

The fight has now moved from whether Melania Trump can sue Wolff to whether Wolff should be punished for suing her first.

According to court papers, her lawyers wrote in June that they intended to seek sanctions over Wolff's 'factual misrepresentations, frivolous legal arguments and bad‑faith conduct.'

'Plaintiff's misconduct, and that of his counsel, warrants sanctions,' they argued, adding that any penalties 'should be sufficient to deter repetition and to compensate Mrs Trump for the costs imposed by their misconduct.'

On his podcast Inside Trump's Head, which he co‑hosts with Joanna Coles, Wolff accused Melania Trump of trying to silence him by going after his lawyers.

'Essentially, they are moving to sanction my lawyers for doing nothing more than bringing the lawsuit against Melania Trump,' Wolff said. 'So this is preposterous on its face.'

He went further, saying the sanctions push is 'another... kind of thing that comes with all of Trump‑style... litigation, which is you do everything, no matter how... sordid and not respectable... and bound to be thrown out of court, you do this stuff to cost your opponents more money and to cause delay.'

Judge Warns Melania Trump Of 'High Burden' In Sanctions Bid

If Melania Trump expected an easy victory round two, Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil's remarks in open court would have been a jolt.

At a hearing in Manhattan, she reminded the first lady's team that the underlying case is already over.

'I wonder if it's in the interest of the parties to continue litigating in this court,' she told Melania Trump's lawyers, adding pointedly that 'the case is now closed.'

The judge explained that a Rule 11, or Section 11, sanctions motion carries a demanding standard. She said Melania Trump would need 'clear evidence' that Wolff's lawsuit was baseless and brought in bad faith, and noted that such motions 'place a very high burden on the moving party.'

Vyskocil added: 'I think sometimes people get so caught up in the fervor of the moment that they don't really stop and think about the cost‑benefit analysis of motions that are contemplated and the burden you put a court to.'

Still, she acknowledged that she 'cannot stop a party from filing a motion that it believes in good faith is warranted, except in very rare circumstances that aren't present in this case.'

Melania Trump's team indicated they intend to press ahead and told the court they will file their formal sanctions motion by 20 July.

Michael Wolff Says Errant Text Exposed 'Highest Levels Of Trump Law'

Wolff's account of how he learned about Melania Trump's sanctions plan is, frankly, wild. He told listeners that on 26 January, he received a text message from the president's personal lawyer, Boris Epshteyn, that was clearly not meant for him.

'On January 26th of this year, I got a text... from the president's personal lawyer, a man by the name of Boris Epshteyn, and the text said, "Hey team, what's our timing on the Section 11 filing?"' Wolff recalled.

Co‑host Joanna Coles deadpanned, 'And I'm assuming that you weren't part of the team.'

'I was not part of the team,' Wolff replied, explaining that he is in Epshteyn's contacts because the lawyer is 'a frequent off‑the‑record chatterer' and had simply sent the message to the wrong person.

For Wolff, the content of that mis‑sent text mattered more than the gaffe itself. He told listeners that Epshteyn's mistake showed his case against Melania Trump 'was being coordinated at the highest levels of Trump law.'

Epstein Claims Sit At Heart Of Melania Trump Legal War

The legal war between Melania Trump and Michael Wolff rests on one of the most radioactive names in American public life.

The 72‑year‑old journalist has repeatedly linked the Trumps to Jeffrey Epstein in his commentary, while stressing in his own filings that he has never claimed Melania Trump was directly involved in any of Epstein's crimes.

In his now‑defunct complaint, filed under New York's anti‑SLAPP statute, Wolff accused the Trump family of creating 'a climate of fear in the nation so that people cannot freely or confidently exercise their First Amendment rights.'

He defended several provocative statements about Donald Trump's private life and again asserted that Melania Trump 'plays no small part' in 'the Epstein story.'

The Epstein issue has dogged the first family since Donald Trump returned to the White House at the end of 2024, reviving scrutiny of his past social ties with the disgraced financier.

Melania Trump has tried to push back hard.

In April, she released a recorded statement insisting that 'the lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today.'

Michael Wolff, who has written four books about Donald Trump and his administrations, filed his anti‑SLAPP claim in October 2025 after receiving a letter from Melania Trump's lawyers threatening a billion‑dollar defamation suit.

The threatened case centred on Wolff's public comments that Melania Trump was friends with Jeffrey Epstein and that she played a role in the administration's handling of the so‑called Epstein files.

In his filings, Wolff also stood by incendiary allegations about the couple's relationship, including that Melania may have met Trump within Epstein's social circle and that Trump first slept with her on Epstein's private jet.

In May, District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, who sits in the Southern District of New York, dismissed Wolff's anti‑SLAPP case, ruling that he lacked standing because Melania Trump had not, and still has not, actually sued him. Wolff is appealing that decision.