Overview
- The first lady filed a formal motion for sanctions on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, asking the court to recover her attorneys’ fees and other costs from Michael Wolff.
- A federal judge earlier this year dismissed Wolff’s preemptive suit to block Melania’s defamation claim and described his filings as a “contorted” misuse of federal court procedures.
- Melania’s lawyers say Wolff manufactured a jurisdictional dispute to keep the fight in New York state court, used litigation for improper purposes, and ran the case as a fundraising and political spectacle.
- The dispute traces to a Wolff interview reported by The Daily Beast in which he said Melania was “very involved” with Jeffrey Epstein; that article was later retracted after the first lady’s pre-suit demand.
- The court has not yet ruled on the sanctions request and Wolff did not immediately respond to requests for comment; a ruling could shift who pays legal costs and influence how future high-profile defamation claims are litigated.