A federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump's settlement with the Justice Department over the leak of his tax returns stemmed from a lawsuit that lacked a genuine legal dispute and was used to legitimize the agreement in court.
Judge Says Lawsuit Lacked Genuine Dispute On Monday, U.S.
District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a 56-page ruling finding that Trump and the Justice Department were never truly adverse parties in the lawsuit, concluding that the case was filed to secure judicial approval of a settlement rather than to resolve an actual controversy.
"In sum, the facts before this Court demonstrate there was never adverseness between the Parties; there was never a case or controversy," Williams wrote.
She added that the lawsuit was "brought to manipulate the judicial process." Trump had sued the IRS for $10 billion over the disclosure of his tax returns.
