A judge in Maryland dismissed a lawsuit for defamation brought by first lady Melania Trump against the online Daily Mail because the lawsuit was filed in the wrong venue.
Trump’s attorneys filed the suit in Maryland because that's where the blogger who posted unsubstantiated rumors that Trump had previously worked as an escort lives. They had hoped to try both the case against the blogger and the one against the online tabloid together to save time and resources, according to The Washington Post.
Although the case against Mail Media, which publishes the online Daily Mail site, was dismissed, the case against the blogger Webster Tarpley was allowed to go forward. That trial may take place in Rockville, about 20 miles north of the White House. Tarpley works from his town house in Gaithersburg, the Post reported.
“In the case at hand, the article was written about a New York resident by a newspaper in the United Kingdom, and also published on a general news website that cannot be described as having a Maryland focus. ... No reporter or editor traveled to Maryland in the course of reporting, editing or publishing the article,” the judge wrote, according to the Post.
Trump’s attorneys said they will refile the suit against the Daily Mail in New York City. They also have filed suit in London where the tabloid is headquartered.
The ruling stated the lawsuit could not be refiled elsewhere in Maryland, the Post said.
Both the Daily Mail and Tarpley issued retractions after the story about Melania Trump was published.
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