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Donald Trump must pay nearly $400,000 in legal fees to The New York Times and three of its reporters, a judge ruled Friday.
The former president unsuccessfully sued the Times, along with reporters Susanne Craig, David Barstow and Russ Buettner, over a 2018 Pulitzer-winning story on the Trump family’s wealth and tax filings.
The Times and its reporters were dismissed from the lawsuit in May. Trump’s suit, which dates back to 2021, alleged that his niece, Mary Trump, violated terms of a settlement agreement by turning over tax records to reporters. He is seeking $100 million in damages.
In the Friday order, New York Judge Robert Reed wrote that the sum of $392,638.69 is “reasonable” given the case’s complexity. Trump’s lawyers disagreed, arguing the “exorbitant” costs should be “reduced by a significant margin.”
Times Spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha said the ruling has “sent a message to those who want to misuse the judicial system to try and silence journalists,” according to the Associated Press.
Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, told AP she was disappointed that the Times and its reporters were dropped from the case but that the court has “once again affirmed the strength of our claims against Mary and is denying her attempt to avoid accountability.”
Craig, one of the reporters of the 2018 story, celebrated the motion with a thumbs up emoji in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
