Republican nominee’s wife punts for royal family favourite Harbottle & Lewis
Melania Trump has instructed prominent West End media outfit Harbottle & Lewis in legal proceedings against the Daily Mail newspaper, according to reports.
Trump, who is the wife of outspoken Republican nominee Donald Trump, is pursuing a libel claim against the Fleet Street giant, after it published “100% false” rumours about her past.
In an article published earlier this month, the Daily Mail suggested the potential First Lady of the United States worked as an escort in the 1990s. The story also raised questions about her previous immigration status.
Unwilling to let the story slide, Mrs Trump has, according to legal newsletter The Brief, instructed libel specialists Harbottle & Lewis. The firm — located on London’s prestigious Hanover Square — is a royal family favourite, with past clients including Prince Charles and his sons William and Harry.
Across the pond, Trump is being represented by Charles Harder — a lawyer at California-based firm Harder, Mirell and Abrams. In a statement issued to The Guardian, Harder said:
This law firm is litigation counsel for Melania Trump. Mrs Trump has placed several news organizations on notice of her legal claims against them, including Daily Mail among others, for making false and defamatory statements about her supposedly having been an ‘escort’ in the 1990s. All such statements are 100% false, highly damaging to her reputation, and personally hurtful. She understands that news media have certain leeway in a presidential campaign, but outright lying about her in this way exceeds all bounds of appropriate news reporting and human decency.
According to Harder, Trump is also mulling over legal proceedings against news sites Politico and The Week. The report states that both publications are “on notice” but “no suit has been filed yet”.