Judge dismisses Trump lawsuit against New York Times, his niece

May 3 (UPI) -- A judge in New York on Wednesday dismissed a $100 million lawsuit Donald Trump filed against The New York Times, three of its writers and his niece, Mary Trump, over a 2018 article accusing the former president of participating in "dubious tax schemes" in the 1990s.

The lawsuit, filed in 2021, accuses the defendants of having engaged in "an insidious plot" to obtain Trump's confidential tax records with the purpose of exploiting them for their own benefit.

The records were in the possession of Mary Trump's lawyer and were disclosed as part of previous litigation among the Trump family regarding the estates of Frederick Trump, the father and grandfather to the former president and Mary Trump, respectively.

Trump accused The Times of forcing his niece to hand over the documents in violation of a 2001 settlement agreement that followed the completion of the estate litigation.

State Supreme Court Judge Robert Reed on Wednesday reiterated that Donald Trump did not refute the claims made in the article, but rather accused the newspaper of tortious interference with a contract -- an argument he ruled fails under the Constitution.

"Courts have long recognized that reporters are entitled to engage in legal and ordinary newsgathering activities without fear of tort liability -- as these actions are at the very core of the protected First Amendment activity," Reed wrote in his ruling.

"The Times' purpose in reporting on a story of high public interest constitutes justification as a matter of law."

Reed ordered Trump to pay the legal fees and costs incurred by the defendants in the case.

"The New York Times is pleased with the judge's decision today," Times spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander told UPI in an emailed statement. "It is an important precedent reaffirming that the press is protected when it engages in routine newsgathering to obtain information of vital importance to the public."

The decision is a blow to Trump, who is facing a series of litigation, including in New York City, where he is the defendant in a criminal case involving hush money paid during his 2016 presidential campaign to a porn star over an alleged sexual tryst.

A second New York case, a $250 million civil suit, accuses the former president of business fraud concerning the valuations of several of his properties.

A third lawsuit, filed by E. Jean Carroll, alleges Trump raped her in a New York department store in the 1990s and then defamed her by describing her claims as "a hoax and a lie." That case is in trial now.