Donald Trump has petitioned a New York appellate court to halt his niece’s pursuit of family financial records. Last week, Trump’s legal team submitted opposition papers with the aim of obstructing Mary Trump’s appeal and pushing the case toward trial.
The conflict stems from Mary Trump’s request for estate valuation materials tied to the estate of her grandfather, Fred Trump Sr. She asserts that these documents could substantiate her claim that she was deceitfully persuaded to sign a family settlement agreement in 2001 based on a misrepresented value of her inheritance following her grandfather’s death in 1999.
Michael Madaio, Donald Trump’s attorney, informed the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division that Mary Trump’s arguments have been consistently rejected.
Donald Trump first lodged his lawsuit against Mary Trump, claiming she breached a confidentiality clause in the family settlement by sharing tax documents with the New York Times and revealing information in her book “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.” The book sold 950,000 copies on its first day, offering a psychological profile of her uncle.
Donald Trump’s suit seeks a minimum of 100 million dollars in damages, alleging his niece collaborated with the New York Times in a plot to disclose confidential tax records. In 2018, the New York Times published an investigation into Trump’s finances, accusing him of tax schemes connected to the wealth he inherited from his father. The investigation earned a Pulitzer Prize.
Mary Trump, the daughter of Fred Trump Jr., who died from a heart attack attributed to alcoholism in 1981 at the age of 42, is a clinical psychologist with a doctorate from Adelphi University.
Justice Robert Reed has consistently denied Mary Trump’s discovery requests. In August, Reed once again rejected her attempt to compel discovery of the “Estate Valuation Materials,” asserting that the documents “clearly and unambiguously released” Donald Trump “from unknown claims, including fraud claims.”
Mary Trump appealed Reed’s decision. In October 2024, her legal team informed the appellate court that upholding Reed’s rulings would create significant prejudice, effectively hindering her from pursuing one of her affirmative defenses.
Donald Trump’s legal team responded that “Justice Reed correctly declined to compel production since Dr. Trump’s request was based on a flawed legal theory that had been expressly waived by contract, rejected in a prior litigation, and affirmed on appeal.”
The family disagreement traces back to the will of Fred Trump Sr., which bequeathed the majority of his estate in equal portions to his surviving offspring, while each grandchild received $200,000.
Fred Trump Sr. was diagnosed with mild senile dementia in 1991 and later developed Alzheimer’s disease. Upon his death in 1999, Mary Trump and her brother Fred Trump III contested the will. They filed a lawsuit alleging that Donald Trump, Maryanne Trump Barry, and Robert Trump had unduly influenced their aging grandfather.
In response to that lawsuit, Donald Trump, Maryanne Trump Barry, and Robert Trump terminated medical insurance for Mary Trump and Fred Trump III, including coverage for Fred III’s son William, who had been diagnosed with epileptic spasms necessitating lifelong care.
The dispute was resolved in 2001 with Mary Trump and Fred Trump III selling their interests in the family’s real estate holdings. The settlement included a confidentiality clause, which forms the basis of Donald Trump’s current lawsuit.
In September 2020, Mary Trump initiated her own lawsuit against Donald Trump, Maryanne Trump Barry, and the estate of Robert Trump, alleging they had defrauded her of tens of millions of dollars connected to her share of the real estate holdings. Donald Trump responded with his countersuit in September 2021.
Mary Trump has written three books analyzing her family. After “Too Much and Never Enough,” she published “The Reckoning” in August 2021 and “Who Could Ever Love You” in September 2024.
Oral argument on Mary Trump’s appeal is scheduled for February 2026. At the trial court level, Reed established a series of deadlines last week, setting an August 2026 target date for confirming that discovery is finished and the case is prepared for trial.
Both parties agreed to complete depositions by April 9 and conclude expert discovery and all disclosures by June 2026. They plan to file a Note of Issue, confirming the case is ready for trial, by August 2026.
Donald Trump’s opposition brief argued that Mary Trump’s request for estate valuation materials was solely to support a fraudulent inducement theory that had been rejected in previous litigation.
The New York Times investigation that catalyzed part of the lawsuit was a 14,000-word report titled “Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father.” The investigation was conducted using over 100,000 pages of documents that purportedly revealed the details of Trump’s financial practices. Mary Trump’s provision of tax records to the newspaper became central to Donald Trump’s breach of contract allegations against her.