Trump Sibling Seeks Order to Block Publication of Niece's Book About President
While Robert Trump has not reviewed the content of the book, attorney Charles Harder argued that public statements by Mary Trump and the publisher have shown the book will contain information about her relationships that are protected under a confidentiality agreement.
June 24, 2020 at 02:47 PM
3 minute read
President Donald Trump's brother Robert Trump filed a petition in Queens County Surrogate's Court Wednesday seeking a temporary restraining order against the brothers' niece, Mary Trump, and Simon & Schuster, the publisher of Mary Trump's upcoming book about the president.
Charles Harder, who is representing Robert Trump, argued that Mary Trump is subject to a confidentiality provision in the 2001 settlement agreement associated with her grandfather Fred Trump's will.
"The court cases involving Fred Trump's will had received extensive publicity and the family made a decision collectively to enter into an agreement that would maintain the confidentiality of the family's private matters," Harder wrote.
Under the confidentiality agreement, family members, including Mary Trump, agreed not to publish accounts of "their litigation or relationship[s]" unless they obtained consent from Robert Trump, Donald Trump, then-Judge Maryanne Trump Barry of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the directors and officers of two companies, Harder wrote.
Mary Trump's book, "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man," is set to be published July 28, according to the Simon & Schuster website.
While Robert Trump has not reviewed the content of the book, Harder argued that public statements by Mary Trump and the publisher have shown the book will contain information about her relationships that are protected under the confidentiality agreement.
Queens County Surrogate's Court reserves jurisdiction over the settlement agreement and its terms, according to the petition.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partner Theodore Boutrous Jr., who is representing Mary Trump, issued a statement Tuesday.
"President Trump and his siblings seek to suppress a book that will discuss matters of utmost public importance," he said. "They are pursuing this unlawful prior restraint because they do not want the public to know the truth. The courts will not tolerate this brazen violation of the First Amendment."
Harder and Simon & Schuster did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
The filing comes just a week after the civil division of the U.S. Department of Justice sued former national security adviser John Bolton to try to stop the publication of a memoir about his time in the White House.
In that case, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth of the District of Columbia questioned his own ability to block the publication at a hearing, noting that Bolton's memoir had already been printed and distributed widely to bookstores, reviewers and reporters in the final days before its planned release to the public.
READ MORE:
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllTrump Picks Personal Criminal Defense Lawyers for Solicitor General, Deputy Attorney General
SEC Under Trump 2.0 Likely to Take More 'Measured' Enforcement Approach, Observers Say
Decision of the Day: Attorney in Social Security Case Awarded Fees, But Must Pay Client Refund Under Equal Access to Justice Act
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1From ‘Deep Sadness’ to Little Concern, Gaetz’s Nomination Draws Sharp Reaction From Lawyers
- 2Legal Speak at General Counsel Conference East 2024: Julie Cantor, Associate General Counsel at Studs, Inc.
- 3Legal Speak at General Counsel Conference East 2024: Chris Correnti, President & CEO & General Counsel AGC America, Inc.
- 4‘What’s Up With Morgan & Morgan?’ Law, Advertising and a Calculated Rise
- 5Cravath Matches 'Special' and Year-End Bonuses
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250