To prove she’s absolutely serious about tackling the problem of online bullying, it looks as though First Lady Melania Trump may be moving forward with her $150 million lawsuit against a blogger, Forbes reports.
During the height of last year’s presidential campaign, Webster Tarpley reported on false rumors that Melania had once worked as a “high-end escort.” He later apologized and printed a retraction. Now, a circuit court in Maryland has ruled that Tarpley’s lack of fact-checking was enough to merit defamation and has granted the First Lady permission to proceed with the case.
Related: Body language experts decode Donald and Melania Trump’s bizarre behavior
Melania’s lawyer, Charles Harder, who is the same guy who helped Hulk Hogan sue Gawker out of existence, argued that Tarpley should have done a better vetting his sources before writing about the untrue rumors on his blog.
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“The job of a reporter is to vet it before you publish it,” he said.
But Tarpley’s lawyer, Danielle Giroux, begged to differ.
“He did not say that Melania Trump was a high-class escort,” she argued. “What he said was there are rumors about that.”
Ultimately, Judge Sharon Burrell sided with Harder. She denied Tarpley’s motion to have the case dismissed, saying: “There can be no more defamatory statement than to call a woman a prostitute.”
“The court finds the plaintiff has stated a claim for defamation,” she added, allowing the multi-million dollar defamation suit to go ahead.
Related: The First Lady’s cause: Herself! (No, seriously. It really is.)
Captain proton
I’d say what I think about her, but I don’t want to risk a lawsuit.
ChrisK
Yes I agree. This is a total insult to “high-end escorts” who are making an honest living and not some make believe rent a bride for rich duchebags.
Captain proton
I was thinking more along the lines of she’s suing a nobody blogger for an astronomical sum even big companies would be hard pressed to pay and not the fat tabloids who originated the rumors. All while saying she’s against bullying.
Kangol
I think if you couch it in speculative language you can say anything you want. Like, “it’s alleged” or “supposedly” or “some may say,” etc. Just don’t make it direct, affirmative language, and in the US you have a lot of leeway.
CaliKyle
Melania Trump a high-end escort? More like a cheap whore with orange skidmarks lining her cooch.
SarcasaticMisanthrope
Melanoma is nothing but a Eastern European bride/stripper/whore for hire.
Mo Bro
As a relatively young man with little experience in our unique population, I began frequenting this site among other gay sites to learn more about the community . . . and in all honesty, after witnessing the unprecedented nastiness and maliciousness put forth regarding the family of Donald Trump—not in the name of LGBT rights or furthering any other good cause, but purely out of gleeful spite borne of political affiliation—I find myself more and more resistant to immersing myself in such a culture of negativity. If this is how you treat the family of the man whose politics you disagree with, I can only imagine how you’d treat someone like myself who actually voted for him.
Heywood Jablowme
“I can only imagine how you’d treat someone like myself who actually voted for him.”
I can’t guess about anyone else, but I’d grab you by the b@lls. That’s what Trump would do if he were gay, so you shouldn’t mind that.
ChrisK
Well, you could always leave like you said you were going to do multiple times now.
Roger Boy
As you stated you are a relatively young man with little experience in our unique population.
Well let me tell you about our unique population and the reason is has come as far as it has. We have had to fight, kick and scratch to gain any degree of freedom that we have today because of people like the ones you voted for.
That is one reason you have the venue you have to speak your mind. The thing you should have investigated more deeply is the person you voted for and the pond full of bigots he has surrounded himself with because those freedoms that you are currently enjoying without question are most likely going to be disappearing very shortly due to people like you that voted for the bigots that you did.
Maybe you should attempt practicing a little gratitude rather than criticizing the freedoms you automatically take for granted and never had to fight for because you haven’t a clue about the way it used to be.
Mo Bro
@Roger Boy
I know that Obama’s family was declared absolutely off-limits by the PC police and everyone else on the left, and as far as I know, no one ever publicly accused Malia of giving blow jobs in alleyways to support her crack habit.
So if you think your “I’m-oppressed-so-it’s-okay-that-I-attack-the-family-members-of-those-who-I-perceive-to-be-oppressed-by” stance holds any water whatsoever, think again. We’re talking about the family of the president here, not your personal struggles.
ChrisK
Yeah, and that’s why your side had a field day calling the former first lady monkey names. Yes children should be off limits. Accept for the Trumps two psycho spawn Uday and Qusay since they work for him.
Jack Meoff
@Mobro, you don’t have the courage of your convictions. You seem to take comments on this site very personally and you seem ill equipped to cope with them so for the sake of your own well being and our sanity perhaps you should follow through on your repeated threats to leave this site and not return. I think you and everybody else would be a lot happier.
Roger Boy
You are nothing but a troll. Every single statement you make is proof of that. You can’t even spell Malania’s name. You’re dismissed. Now run along. You’re silliness is getting boring sweet cakes…..
Mo Bro
@Roger Boy:
You simpleton, I wasn’t trying to spell Melania, I was referencing Obama’s daughter, Malia. Malia. Malia Obama. Daughter of the former president. Look it up. Her name is Malia. Comprende?
Also, ironically, you misspelled Melania—the very crime you so happily accused me of. And “you’re” is a contraction of “you are,” not possessive—you meant “your.” But I’m sure you easily confuse “there” “they’re” and “their” too. Such is the plight of the lesser educated (not to mention grown men who refer to themselves as “boy”).
@Jack Meoff:
Sorry, Jackie, but the only thing I take personally is the fact that due to my sexuality, society thinks you and I are equals.
Heywood Jablowme
In a legal sense, “escort” isn’t even pejorative. The (ahem) assumption is that escorts are NOT having illegal paid sex; they are merely “escorting.” Nothing wrong or illegal with that.
If they ARE having illegal paid sex they’re not called escorts, they’re called something else.
Strictly in a legal sense, of course!
CarrieV
I think it’s far, far more insulting to call a woman “a gold digger” than it is a high end escort. The latter works an honest job, while the former is far more gross than even the lowest-level hooker.
And yet our current First Lady {shudder} is indeed a gold digger, with an anchor baby at that.
Oh, and she’s also a plagiarist (Mrs. Obama’s speech), a hypocrite (re: bullying), and for having lived in the U.S. for as long as she has, not nearly as coherent a speaker as immigrants who’ve lived here for much shorter time. I wonder if she speaks so poorly in any of her other five supposed languages?
Realitycheck
Some how that sounds beyond wrong, she is a public figure and as such she game,
the booger should appeal and have the law suit dismissed, or better yet counter suit
for damages.
Can you imagine if Obama had sue all the people that insulted him? The entire GOP would be out of cash.
GayEGO
That is the difference between the Obamas and the Trumps. The Obamas are interested in supporting the American people and the Trumps are interesting in winning and making money for themselves, no matter how much cheating they do.
operaqueen
The family of the man who called people “Lyin Ted”, “Little Marco” and “Crooked Hillary.” Remember she is the woman who PLAGERIZED her speech at the Republican convention. The wife of the President who refuses to live at the White House.
Mo Bro
So, according to you, “the family of the man” who did or said things you don’t like is fair game, is that it? Have you ever considered that your twisted logic makes you the target of anyone who doesn’t like something a family member of yours said? Is that really okay with you? (on a side note, if you’re going to the trouble of capitalizing a word for emphasis, perhaps you should first know how to spell it)
Realitycheck
Well said, Hillary and Obama should start suing all the people that made slanderous and
hurtful statements including Twitter and Facebook/Instagram for all the fake news/videos.
What comes around goes around
george_harman
Not sure about the Escort thing, but Gold Digger and Homewrecker are coming to mind for sure. And the Nasty things that The Trumps have called others would make you wonder why those folks haven’t filed Defamation Suits. “Rumors” are a lot harder to prove than your Husband Defaming someone on National Tv or at a Presidential Debate.
sydboy007
Sad to see racism and sexism is alive on queerty. Suppose you all agree Richard Spencer had it coming as well.
The true test of character is how you treat those you don’t like.
Would it be acceptable to have targeted Michelle Obama in a similar way to how you talk about Melania Trump?
Shall we wait for your next fake outrage twitter storm to see what you think of denigrating women or immigrants?? Ah, maybe because Melania is “white” she’s at the bottom of the intersectional victim narrative?
The gay community has certainly moved far from the ideals it fought for through the 70s, 80, 90s.
Your attitudes and rationalisations of why this is OK is the main reason Trump is president. Till you realise this the political swing to the right int he west will continue, and that’ not a good thing, but it’s the only political side that’s working for the people the left denigrates, tells to shut up and get to the back of the rally.
REEEEEEEE.
Realitycheck
They did target Michelle over and over and we all know how birthism from t-Rump worked against Obama and Hillary went through a lots of abuse because of fake news….
whitakerk861
Michelle was called a monkey on numerous occasions which is racist. If you need me to explain please use google first. Thanks!
NateOcean
Chelsea Clinton was called a dog by Rush Limbaugh.
She was 13 girl at the time.
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/03/15/flashback-when-rush-limbaughs-hate-was-televise/184523
nitejonboy
Wow….so not only is our first lady a porn star whore, but she’s a bully too!! Some role model for her son.
whatevz
you mean their ‘special needs’ spawn from a sexual assault the old racist did without protection?
Mo Bro
@whatevs:
Classy.
Hopefully, judging from your name and comment, you’re merely a 12-year-old playing on his dad’s computer who came upon this site to parrot the other haters.
whitakerk861
“There can be no more defamatory statement than to call a woman a prostitute.” Ummm, I be all like, yeah, there’s a lot worse.
GayEGO
You mean like her hubby who calls women a lot of nasty things as evident by his locker room talk video!
GayEGO
Americans should be able to sue her hubby Donnie a lot more money for saying a lot worse things about women, immigrants, Americans, and on and on.
Kangol
Don’t forget, Melania pushed that Birther nonsense. She’s even captured on the record–on TV–push it, and it was disgusting, r@cist slander. We’re talking about a woman who allegedly has never shown the US her complete immigration papers. Please produce those, FLOTUS45!
ShowMeGuy
Agree to pay her 100 million out of court, sign the contract then do like her husband does…….write a check for $100 and claim that is all this issue is worth. Take it or leave it. If Drumpf can get away with treating contracts in such a fashion…..everyone should be able to do it that way too.