Mary Trump is making a final appeal to a New York judge, asking him to force her uncle, President Donald Trump, to turn over documents related to the value of the late Fred Trump Sr.’s estate—materials she says are crucial to her defense in a long-running legal battle.
In a Friday filing, Mary Trump and her attorney Theodore Boutrous argued that New York Supreme Court Justice Robert R. Reed wrongly excluded the estate valuation documents from discovery. They claim those records will show she was fraudulently induced into signing a 2001 settlement agreement with the Trump family—rendering the agreement’s confidentiality clause, at the heart of President Trump’s lawsuit, invalid.
“These materials are central to the live fraud defense in this case,” Boutrous wrote. “Mary Trump was deliberately misled into signing the settlement based on misrepresentations about the estate’s value. She deserves the opportunity to present that case.”
The defense argues the denial of access to these materials not only weakens her legal argument but is also hampering her ability to obtain relevant documents from third parties.
The ongoing lawsuit stems from Mary Trump’s role in helping The New York Times publish a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation into President Trump’s finances. Trump has alleged that Mary, along with journalists Susanne Craig, David Barstow, and Russell Buettner, conspired to obtain and release his confidential tax documents—accusations Mary Trump denies.
Earlier this year, Justice Reed ruled that Mary Trump had clearly released all claims—including fraud—when she signed the 2001 family settlement, dismissing her counterclaims and rejecting her efforts to expand discovery.
President Trump’s attorney, Michael Madaio, has repeatedly asked the court to deny Mary Trump’s discovery efforts, characterizing them as a “fishing expedition” and saying the court already addressed her arguments. He maintains the judge acted well within his discretion.
But Mary Trump’s legal team argues that this is not about re-litigating old claims but about allowing her to mount a defense against a lawsuit brought by her uncle.
“The plaintiff’s estoppel arguments are meritless,” the new filing states. “Past rulings addressed Mary Trump’s ability to sue for fraud—not her ability to raise fraud as a defense.”
Whether the judge will reverse course remains to be seen. But Mary Trump is urging the court to let her prove what she alleges: that she was misled by her uncle and other family members in a scheme that shielded the true worth of the Trump empire.
