Donald Trump can't sue over claims he's not a billionaire, NJ Appeals Court rules

Donald Trump has lost a defamation lawsuit he filed over claims that he's not a billionaire.

A New Jersey appeals court ruled on Wednesday that Trump can't sue because he is a public figure and he had not shown actual malice by author Timothy O'Brien, the New Jersey Law Journal reports.

O'Brien's book "TrumpNation: The Art of Being The Donald" had cited three unnamed sources who asserted that Trump's net worth was between $150m and $250m. The book quoted Trump's alleged response: "You can go ahead and speak to guys who have four-hundred-pound wives at home who are jealous of me, but the guys who really know me know I'm a great builder."

Trump had alleged the low estimates were wrong and had damaged his credit and business interests.

Trump's special counsel, Michael Cohen, told the New Jersey Law Journal that, despite the outcome, "It was proven conclusively that Mr. Trump's net worth exceeded $7bn." A decision has not been made on whether to appeal.

(Published by ABA Journal - September 8, 2011)