Incoming first lady Melania Trump appears in Maryland county courtroom
Incoming first lady Melania Trump appeared in a Maryland courtroom Monday for a scheduling conference as legal proceedings geared up in her defamation suit against a Montgomery County blogger and a British tabloid.
“Mrs. Trump was not required to attend the court conference but chose to do so to meet the judge, meet opposing counsel and show her commitment to the case,” said her attorney, Charles J. Harder.
...
Montgomery Circuit Judge Sharon Burrell scheduled trial for Nov. 6 through 22, 2017.
Trump did not speak other than to politely respond to Burrell’s greeting.
On Sept. 1, in Montgomery Court, Trump sued blogger Webster Tarpley, 70, and the Daily Mail for defamation. Her attorneys cited published allegations, including those made in Tarpley’s blog post, according to court records.
In the lawsuit, Trump alleged Tarpley and the Daily Mail had published false assertions that, earlier in her life, she had worked as a high-end escort. Both publications retracted their stories.
Tarpley has said that he did not libel Melania Trump, and was passing on “unfounded rumors and innuendo” that had appeared on the Internet.
None of the claims or defenses were discussed at Monday’s hearing.
The blogger was not there. Attorneys for him and for the Daily Mail were present. ...