Trump and US Tax Service in talks over $10 billion lawsuit
Kyiv • UNN
Trump's lawyers and the IRS are negotiating a settlement in a tax return leak lawsuit. The parties are asking for a 90-day suspension of the court proceedings.
Lawyers for US President Donald Trump and the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have begun negotiations on a possible settlement of a $10 billion lawsuit over the leak of his tax returns. This was reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
In federal court in Miami, the parties requested a 90-day stay of proceedings to conduct negotiations.
The motion states that a pause could help "narrow the issues or resolve them efficiently" without lengthy litigation.
The essence of the lawsuit
The lawsuit is related to the leak of Trump's tax returns for 2019-2020, which were published in the media. His sons Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization are also plaintiffs.
Trump claims the leak caused financial damage, "public humiliation," and reputational harm.
Who is to blame for the leak
In 2023, former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn was accused of illegally disclosing tax data of Trump and thousands of other wealthy Americans. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison.
The case is complicated by the fact that the Department of Justice, which represents the IRS, is subordinate to the executive branch, which is headed by Trump himself. This creates potential conflicts of interest.
Any possible payments in the event of a settlement are likely to come from public funds. Trump previously stated that if he wins, he will donate the proceeds to charity.