Trump loses legal fight over tell-all book written by former aide and 'Apprentice' contestant Omarosa
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Former president Donald Trump lost a legal battle to former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman – who was also a contestant on Trump’s reality show “The Apprentice” – when a New York arbitrator ruled that Manigault Newman did not violate a nondisclosure agreement in writing her tell-all book.
The arbitrator said that because the agreement was vague, it was invalid, which means Manigault Newman’s 2018 book “Unhinged: An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House” did not break any laws.
“Donald has used this type of vexatious litigation to intimidate, harass and bully for years,” Manigault Newman said in a statement. “Finally the bully has met his match!”
The New York Times first reported the news Tuesday.
In the tell-all, Manigault Newman criticizes Trump’s mental state and portrays the former president as racist. She also claims to have secretly recorded conversations with Trump and then-Chief of Staff John Kelly, among others.
Manigault Newman went to work for Trump in 2016 during his presidential campaign, then joined him at the White House. She was fired in December 2017 by Kelly in the Situation Room – a conversation she recorded.
Omarosa touts White House tell-all, urges President Trump, '#ComeClean45'
Arbitration is different from a court case, but both Trump and Manigault Newman had previously agreed to accept the ruling. Additionally, the Trump campaign will have to pay for Manigault Newman’s legal fees.
“It’s over. We’ve won in Donald Trump and the Trump Campaign’s chosen forum,” said John Phillips, Manigault Newman’s attorney, in a written statement. “People who signed these NDA’s should sleep better and speak more freely.”
Trump’s statement in response personally attacked Manigault Newman but did not address the decision.
Manigault Newman’s victory comes shortly after another former campaign aide, Jessica Denson, asked a federal judge to invalidate a similar nondisclosure agreement she had previously signed, a move the judge agreed to.
Omarosa tells NPR she heard tape of Trump using the N-word, contradicting her book
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Omarosa, who wrote unflattering tell-all, beats Trump in legal battle
