EXCLUSIVE: Melania Trump Demands Michael Wolff Be Punished After Defamation Victory as First Lady Seeks Attorneys' Fees and Court Sanctions
Melania Trump is seeking sanctions against author Michael Wolff and his attorney.
July 22 2026, Published 5:00 p.m. ET
First Lady Melania Trump is not finished battling author Michael Wolff in court despite already winning dismissal of his lawsuit, with newly filed court documents noting she is now seeking sanctions against the journalist and his attorney, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
In a new motion, obtained by Radar and filed Monday, July 20, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Melania's legal team asked Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil to order Wolff and his counsel to pay her reasonable attorneys' fees and litigation costs, along with monetary penalties and any additional sanctions the court deems appropriate.
Melania Trump Want Michael Wolff to Pay For Damages
Melania Trump's attorneys accuse Wolff of raising more than $836,000 as the legal battle unfolded.
The filing accuses Wolff and his attorney of violating Rule 11, which bars lawyers from filing frivolous or unsupported court claims, along with a federal law – 28 U.S.C. § 1927 – that allows judges to penalize attorneys for unreasonably increasing the cost and length of a case.
The sanctions request comes two months after Judge Vyskocil dismissed Wolff’s lawsuit, which sought declarations that his public statements about the First Lady were not defamatory and that any future lawsuit filed against him would run afoul of New York’s anti-SLAPP law.
In her May ruling, the judge blasted Wolff’s strategy, calling it a "textbook bad-faith forum-shopping" effort and an "abuse of the Declaratory Judgment Act," finding he improperly attempted to secure a favorable ruling before Melania had even filed her anticipated defamation lawsuit.
Smear Campaign?
Melania Trump's attorneys accuse Wolff of filing a frivolous lawsuit and are asking the court to order him to pay attorneys’ fees and more.
According to the new filing, Melania's attorneys argue the case was never about resolving a legitimate legal dispute but instead served as a publicity campaign.
The motion alleges Wolff ignored a pre-suit demand letter sent in October 2025 demanding he retract statements linking the First Lady to convicted s-xoffender Jeffrey Epstein and apologize or face legal action.
Rather than respond, Melania's attorneys claim Wolff raced to file suit in New York state court less than a week later in an effort to seize control of where any litigation would take place.
Salacious Speculation of Tabloid Headlines
The legal battle stems from Wolff's public comments linking Melania Trump to Jeffrey Epstein.
The filing further accuses Wolff of promoting the lawsuit across his media platforms while raising more than $836,000 through an online fundraising campaign tied to the litigation.
Melania's attorneys also argue Wolff and his lawyer made unsupported factual allegations regarding the First Lady's marriage, family, and personal life while attempting to convince the court she remained a New York resident despite official records showing she had established Florida as her domicile years earlier.
According to the motion, those allegations prompted Judge Vyskocil to previously characterize portions of the filings as "the salacious speculation of tabloid headlines" and criticize what she described as unsupported and speculative submissions.
$1Billion Defamation Lawsuit Details
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The sanctions motion argues Wolff and his attorney used the litigation for improper purposes.
Radar previously reported Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil dismissed Wolff's lawsuit in May, ruling the author improperly attempted to use the courts to head off Melania's threatened $1billion defamation lawsuit over his public comments linking her to Epstein.
Melania is now asking the court to require Wolff and his attorney to reimburse the legal fees she incurred defending the case, pay additional penalties into court and impose any non-monetary sanctions the judge believes are appropriate.
The court has not ruled on the sanctions request, and Wolff will have an opportunity to respond before Judge Vyskocil decides whether any punishment will be imposed.
