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The most litigious president in American history is, without a doubt, Donald Trump. He is reported to have filed more than thirty defamation lawsuits since the 1980s. With that experience you might think that Trump would have a pretty good idea how the law works, and how to get the most from his numerous frivolous and retributive lawsuits.
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However, Trump is clearly suffering from some sort of learning disability because, despite his frequent legal misadventures, he has never won a single case. Although he has managed to extract via settlements what were essentially bribes from conflicted corporations who were seeking government favors. But more often than not he came away with nothing after exposing himself to more embarrassment and ridicule.
FOR INSTANCE: Trump’s Lawsuit Against the Wall Street Journal for Reporting on Him and Epstein is Thrown Out
Trump is still making pedestrian mistakes. But then, no one has ever regarded Trump as the sharpest tool in the shed. Among them is his recent $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC, wherein he alleged that “a BBC documentary caused catastrophic harm to the value of his ‘brand, properties, and businesses.’” As reported by Meidas Touch News…
“Donald Trump just suffered another brutal courtroom defeat—and this one could force one of his most closely guarded financial entities to start handing over sensitive records.
A federal magistrate judge in Florida has ordered the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust to begin producing financial documents sought by the BBC in Trump’s sprawling defamation lawsuit.”
By identifying his “brand, properties, and businesses” as parties to his financial losses, Trump has been required to present his financial records so that the alleged financial harm can be substantiated and to ascertain appropriate compensation if he prevails. This would provide insight on all of the Trump family business affairs, including crypto and stock trading earnings.
The problems for Trump are twofold. First, it is unlikely that his business records will prove that there were any losses that could be attributed to the BCC documentary, which didn’t even air in the U.S. And secondly, once those records are presented to the court they are a matter of public record. So Trump’s financial affairs, that he has steadfastly refused to disclose for years, would become readily available to anyone who is interested them. That includes other potential litigants, prosecutors probing his criminal activities, investigative journalists, and of course voters.
Trump was recently stung by a ruling in a defamation lawsuit against him by author E. Jean Carroll. Trump had lost that case but was deploying legal tactics to avoid paying. Then a federal judge ruled that the judgment, which was being held in escrow, would be released to Carroll. Trump’s final attempt to avoid paying was foiled when his pleading to the Supreme Court was refused.
It will interesting see what Trump’s finances actually look like. Although the Court’s ruling was limited to records spanning January 1, 2023, through the present, there are still a lot of suspicious business dealings by Trump in those years. So his determination to sue the BBC may result in revelations that go way beyond that one case.
Hopefully other media enterprises will learn from this that Trump is a paper tiger who can be beaten in court, and that capitulating achieves nothing other than showing Trump that you’re weak and susceptible to more legal threats and exploitation. Don’t fall for it. Standing up for your constitutional rights is both legally and morally the right thing to do.
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