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Donald Trump is suing his niece, Mary Trump, over the disclosure of his tax documents - the information of which was published in several articles by the New York Times.
The lawsuit claims that Mary was in breach of a 2001 settlement agreement among the Trump family when she disclosed this information about the former president, CNN reports.
Trump is now seeking "damages in an amount to be determined at trial but believed to be no less than One Hundred Million Dollars" from not only Mary but several New York Times journalists.
The Times' journalists are being accused of "tortious interference" with the settlement agreement after they "relentlessly sought out Mary Trump and intentionally procured her breach of the Settlement Agreement."
Named defendants in the case include Susanne Craig, David Barstow, and Russ Buettner.
The lawsuit alleges that "the actions of Mary Trump and The Times Defendant were motivated, at least in part, by their actual malice towards Plaintiff."
It states that the Times journalists "unjustly reaped significant personal, professional and/or business-related benefit(s), including, but not limited to, monetary gain, fame, acclaim, notoriety, inflated market valuation, increased revenue, and/or career advancement."
The Daily Beast first reported that the lawsuit had been filed in Dutchess County.
In response to the lawsuit, Mary Trump said in a statement: "I think he is a loser, and he is going to throw anything against the wall he can. It's desperation. The walls are closing in and he is throwing anything against the wall that he thinks will stick.
"As is always the case with Donald, he'll try and change the subject."
A spokesperson for the Times said the publication's "coverage of Donald Trump's taxes helped inform citizens through meticulous reporting on a subject of overriding public interest. This lawsuit is an attempt to silence independent news organizations and we plan to vigorously defend against it."
The Times journalists being used were widely praised for their 18-month investigation into Trump's taxes that "debunked his claims of self-made wealth and revealed a business empire riddled with tax dodges."
However, at the time of the report's release, Trump dismissed it as a "very old, boring and often told hit piece," CNN reports.
