The filing, a copy of which was obtained by CNN, listed Robert S. Trump as the plaintiff. Mary Trump and the publisher of her forthcoming book, Simon & Schuster, were listed as defendants.
Robert Trump, who is represented by the President’s attorney, Charles Harder, argued in the filing that Mary Trump was breaking a confidentiality agreement by publishing the book.
The filing said that after the death of Fred Trump, litigation ensued over his will. As part of a settlement, the filing said, a confidentiality provision was agreed upon by all parties, including Mary Trump.
Ted Boutrous, the attorney representing Mary Trump, who has also represented CNN on First Amendment issues in the past, said in a statement that the legal move aimed to “suppress a book that will discuss matters of utmost public importance.”
“They are pursuing this unlawful prior restraint because they do not want the American people to know the truth,” Boutrous said. “The courts will not tolerate this brazen effort to squelch speech in violation of the First Amendment.”
The book, the publisher says, will shine “a bright light on the dark history of their family in order to explain how her uncle became the man who now threatens the world’s health, economic security, and social fabric.”
Adam Rothberg, a spokesperson for Simon & Schuster, said in a statement, “As the plaintiff and his attorney well know, the courts take a dim view of prior restraint, and this attempt to block publication will meet the same fate as those that have gone before.”
“In ‘Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man,’ Mary Trump has written a compelling personal story of worldwide significance, and we look forward to helping her tell her story,” Rothberg added.