A judge in New York has dismissed a lawsuit in which Mary Trump, the niece of Donald Trump, alleged that the former president and two of his brothers tricked her out of an inheritance.
New York Supreme Court Justice Robert Reed ruled Trump’s release barring her claims against the estate of the former president, sister Marianne Trump Barry, and late brother Robert as part of a 2001 settlement agreement. I wrote that I signed.
“These documents clearly and unequivocally relieved defendants of unknown allegations, including allegations of fraud,” Judge Reed wrote in the ruling published Tuesday.
Mary Trump’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, called the decision “unjust and disappointing.”
“Given the ages of the defendants, not to mention the fact that one of them is about to announce that he is running for president today, we intend to seek a speedy appeal,” she said.
Trump’s lawyers applauded the decision. “Mary Trump settled her family grievances over 20 years ago with the help of sophisticated attorneys,” attorney James Kiley wrote in a statement.
A lawyer for Marian Trump Barry did not respond to a request for comment.
Fred Trump Jr.’s daughter, Mary Trump, filed a lawsuit in 2020, claiming the defendant’s brother defrauded her of her interests in the family business. Trump claimed he accepted the 2001 settlement agreement based on fraudulent information about the value of her inheritance.
The defendants have asked a judge to dismiss the complaint, saying Trump’s claims are blocked by her settlement release.
In his ruling, Judge Reid noted that Trump was represented by an attorney and signed the settlement voluntarily.
“If plaintiffs were unwilling to stop suing for fraud they may discover in the future, they could have insisted on conditional release based on the truthfulness and accuracy of the financial information provided by defendants. ‘ wrote the judge.
The email address for Corinne Ramey is corinne.ramey@wsj.com.
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