New York (AFP)
A New York judge temporarily blocked Tuesday the publication of a book written by the niece of Donald Trump, which is due out on July 28 and looks embarrassing for the president three months before the presidential election.
In a two-page ruling, judge Hal Greenwald said he would block the publication of the book "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man" the most dangerous in the world ", in French), at least until July 10.
He invites lawyers for Mary Trump and his publisher Simon & Schuster to present to him by this date the reasons why the book would not violate a confidentiality agreement that the niece had accepted in connection with the legacy of Fred Trump, the president's father.
Since the publisher's announcement of its release in mid-June, this book, supposed to shine "a harsh light on the dark history" of the Trump family, has been the subject of a legal battle.
Last week, a brother of the president, Robert Trump, had seized a specialized court of New York to prevent the publication of the work, but the latter declared himself incompetent to resolve the dispute.
Via his lawyer Charles Harder, Robert Trump welcomed the blockage announced Tuesday, and said he decided to fight to the end to limit "the enormous damage" caused by what is for him a blatant "breach of contract ".
Mary Trump's lawyer, Theodore Boutrous, immediately promised to appeal.
Even if the blockade is only temporary, "it flatly violates the First Amendment" of the American Constitution, which protects freedom of expression, he said.
"This book, on subjects of great interest and importance for public opinion concerning a president in office during an electoral year, should not be censored, if only for one day", said he added.
Mary Trump, 55, a psychologist, is the daughter of Fred Trump Jr., older brother of the Republican billionaire who died in 1981 at the age of 42 from alcoholism.
In this 240-page book, she recounts events she witnessed in her grandparents' home in New York, where Donald Trump and his four siblings grew up.
"She describes a nightmare of trauma, destructive relationships, and a tragic mixture of neglect and abuse," says her publishing house, Simon & Schuster.
© 2020 AFP