Former President Donald Trump at the Oval Office of The White House, October 10, 2018. Win McNamee/Getty Images
Donald Trump lost a legal attempt to enforce the NDA after it was invalidated by a judge.
Trump tried to sue Omarosa Newman because he spoke out. But it didn't work.
Newman's lawyer stated that the case would encourage ex-Trump staff members to challenge their NDAs.
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Her lawyer said that former President Donald Trump could have caused a flurry of embarrassing disclosures by taking an ex-staffer to court, only to lose the case.
After Trump sued Omarosa Manigault Newman for libel, he was among many ex-staffers who disparaged him in a tell all book.
Trump was unable to enforce his non-disclosure agreement with Manigault Newman after a three-year-long legal battle.
The book "Unhinged" (an insider's account of Trump White House) was a critical look at the year she worked for Trump from 2017 to 2018.
John Phillips, Manigault Newman’s attorney, stated that the ruling would encourage other Trump staffers to speak out after being reluctant because of NDAs.
John Phillips, Manigault Newman’s attorney, told Law & Crime that people who signed these NDAs should be able to sleep better and speak freely.
"Kudos Omarosa Manigault Newman, for coming forward and taking it on!"
Many Trump staffers had published unflattering books on him even before the ruling.
The Washington Post reported that there were still senior aides who have signed NDAs.
Trump's legal team claimed that Manigault-Newman violated a clause in the NDA which prohibited her from discussing her time working for Trump.
She not only criticised Trump in her book but also made numerous media appearances where she discredit him, Trump's legal team said.
A judge, however, ruled that the NDA was inapplicable under New York law. He stated that the NDA was too vaguely written and broad in scope and cannot be enforced.
Continue the story
"The agreement definitely imposes upon [the] respondent an obligation not to say anything that could be considered critical of Mr. Trump Trump or his or her family's interests for the rest of their lives. In the judgment, Arbitrator T. Andrew Brown stated that such a burden was "certainly unreasonable".
He stated that the terms of the agreement were vague, indefinite and, therefore, void and not enforceable.
Law & Crime reported that Trump will be required to offer a "reasonable" settlement in order to pay Manigault Newman’s legal fees and costs.
Business Insider has the original article.
