The Trump family have won a preliminary injunction on Tuesday against their niece Mary Trump and her publishers to stop them from publishing her tell-all book.
A judge ruled they had to refrain from ‘publishing, printing or distributing’ any copies of the book ahead of a hearing on July 10th.
The book — titled Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man — is due to come out on July 28th and the ruling could delay its publication.
The decision was made by Judge Hal B. Greenwald at the Dutchess County court just north of New York – and will be a major setback to Mary, the daughter of the president’s brother Fred Jr., who died in 1981 from alcoholism.
Mary’s publisher Simon & Schuster plans to ‘immediately appeal’ the decision, as the company’s lawyer called it a ‘First Amendment violation’.
The 55-year-old’s book promises to describe a ‘nightmare of traumas, destructive relationships, and a tragic combination of neglect and abuse that helped make Donald Trump the man he is today’.
The Trump family have won a preliminary injunction on Tuesday against their niece Mary Trump and her publishers to stop them from publishing her tell-all book
The book is also expected to reveal that Mary (pictured on June 19) was the source of a New York Times investigation into the President in 2018 which demolished his image as a self-made man. In fact, he received at least $413 million from his father and was a millionaire by the time he was eight, she said
Mary’s book – titled Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man — is due to come out on July 28th and the ruling could delay its publication
The book is also expected to reveal that Mary was the source of a New York Times investigation into the President in 2018 which demolished his image as a self-made man. In fact, he received at least $413 million from his father and was a millionaire by the time he was eight, she said.
Lawyers for the president’s younger brother Robert, 71, attempted to file papers last Tuesday in Queens County Surrogate’s Court against Mary and her publisher Simon & Schuster. The court had ruled that the filing was botched and they had to refile.
In a statement, Robert’s lawyer Charles Harder told DailyMail.com: ‘Robert Trump is very pleased with the New York Supreme Court’s injunction against Mary Trump and Simon & Schuster. The actions of Mary Trump and Simon & Schuster are truly reprehensible.
‘We look forward to vigorously litigating this case, and will seek the maximum remedies available by law for the enormous damages caused by Mary Trump’s breach of contract and Simon & Schuster’s intentional interference with that contract.
‘Short of corrective action to immediately cease their egregious conduct, we will pursue this case to the very end.’
Adam Rothberg, a spokesman for Simon & Schuster, said: ‘We are disappointed that the Court has granted this Temporary Restraining Order.
‘We plan to immediately appeal this decision to the Appellate Division, and look forward to prevailing in this case based on well-established precedents regarding prior restraint’.
Simon & Schuster’s lawyer Theodore Boutrous said: ‘The trial court’s temporary restraining order is only temporary but it still is a prior restraint on core political speech that flatly violates the First Amendment. We will immediately appeal’.
The three page order states that Mary and her publishers, Simon & Schuster, will have to appear before the court in Poughkeepsie, upstate New York, on July 10th.
Until then anyone who works for the company or with Mary cannot do anything that would make the contents of the bombshell book public.
Lawyers for the president’s younger brother Robert, 71, attempted to file papers last Tuesday in Queens County Surrogate’s Court against Mary and her publisher Simon & Schuster. The court had ruled that the filing was botched and they had to refile
Earlier this month, DailyMail.com revealed that Mary is hiding out in a $2 million beachfront condo while the storm the book has created roils all about her
She was spotted buying a six-pack of Bass Ale in the town of Brewster on June 23
Mary fled her home on New York’s Long Island, driving her black Audi 270 miles to the condo on Cape Cod in Massachusetts that she bought in 2004 for $1.15 million, but is now worth nearly double that
This includes ‘directly or indirectly’ allowing parts of it to be published, which means they are unable to leak any sections to journalists.
This closes an avenue of defense for Simon & Schuster who also published the memoir of Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton.
The President went to court to try and gag him but a federal judge ruled that so much was already in the public domain it was impossible.
According to the order, Mary’s team will have until July 2nd to give responses to the court and the Trumps will have until July 7th to respond.
The wording of the order covers Mary, Simon & Schuster and their ‘respective members, officers,employees, servants, agents, attorneys, representatives and all other persons acting on behalf of or in concert with either or both of them’.
The Trumps went to court over the book by Mary, 55, a psychologist, which the blurb says describes a ‘nightmare of traumas, destructive relationships, and a tragic combination of neglect and abuse’.
They claim that Mary is breaching a non disclosure agreement that she signed 20 years ago to settle a dispute over the will of family patriarch Fred Trump Sr and that they will suffer ‘irreparable harm’.
Mary is one of two children by Fred Trump Jr, the President’s older brother who died in 1981 in his early 40s after battling alcoholism.
When Fred Sr died in 1999, Mary and her brother Fred Trump III challenged his will because they claimed that the Trump family exerted undue influence to cut them out.
Mary claimed in a lawsuit that in retaliation the Trumps ended healthcare for her side of the family.
In the application for the restraining order the Trumps say that everything was resolved in 2001 under a ‘global’ agreement.
Mary and her brother Fred III had filed suit against Trump, Robert and their sister Maryanne in 2000, for wrongful termination of medical benefits and coverage. When Fred Sr died in 1999, Mary and her brother Fred Trump III challenged his will because they claimed that the Trump family exerted undue influence to cut them out
Mary is one of two children by Fred Trump Jr, the President’s older brother who died in 1981 after battling alcoholism.
The application stated that ‘confidentiality was at the essence of the settlement agreement’ and that Mary was breaching that.
As part of the agreement Mary agreed to not ‘directly or indirectly publish or cause to be published any diary, memoir, letter, story, photograph, interview, article, essay, account or description or deficient of any kind whatsoever’.
The case could now end up in the federal court where judges have generally taken a pro First Amendment view.
The ruling essentially forces Simon & Schuster to freeze in place until the injunction is resolved, however it is possible they have already distributed copies of the books to journalists.
That raises the possibility that stories could appear in the press even though they are not actively participating in making them happen.
Earlier this month, DailyMail.com revealed that Mary is hiding out in a $2 million beachfront condo while the storm the book has created roils all about her.
Mary fled her home on New York’s Long Island, driving her black Audi 270 miles to the condo on Cape Cod in Massachusetts that she bought in 2004 for $1.15 million, but is now worth nearly double that.
She was spotted buying a six-pack of Bass Ale in the town of Brewster.
Despite wanting to tell all about her uncle, Mary was less forthcoming when it came to talking to us. ‘There will be a time and a place,’ she said. ‘Have a great day. Enjoy. It’s a beautiful spot.’
Mary’s lawyer Theodore Boutros previously said the president and his family are trying ‘to suppress a book that will discuss matters of utmost public importance.’
‘They are pursuing this unlawful prior restraint because they do not want the public to know the truth,’ he told the New York Times.
‘The courts will not tolerate this brazen violation of the First Amendment.’