Rather than wait for litigation, Wolff filed suit in New York state court in October, asking the court to declare that his statements were protected speech and to prevent any future defamation claim reportedly valued at up to $1 billion. He also argued that the Trump family has a history of using legal threats to discourage criticism. The case was later moved to federal court.
Judge Vyskocil’s ruling dismisses that preemptive lawsuit without deciding whether Wolff’s statements were defamatory, meaning the underlying legal dispute remains unresolved and could still proceed if Melania Trump chooses to file a separate defamation action.
