Donald Trump's defamation suit dismissed

A New Jersey judge has dismissed Donald Trump’s libel lawsuit against an author who Trump had claimed underrepresented his personal wealth, The New York Times reported. 

The author, Timothy L. O’Brien, wrote in a 2005 biography "Trump Nation: The Art of Being the Donald" that Trump’s wealth fell between $150 million and $250 million, significantly lower than the $5 billion to $6 billion Trump claims to be worth. A trial court judge had at first ordered O’Brien to name three confidential sources, at Trump’s request, but that decision was overturned on appeal because O’Brien was covered by the New York state shield law. The book was published in New York.

The Reporters Committee, along with more than a dozen news organizations, filed a friend-of-the-court brief at the appellate level on O’Brien’s behalf.