A Trump donor and retired lawyer, Eric Deters, has filed a defamation lawsuit against former U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle. The suit follows her denial of claims that she pressured him to pay a $100,000 American Express bill while preparing for Senate confirmation.
Those allegations, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, led President Trump to fire Guilfoyle on Oct. 13. Trump said he “didn’t like what we were reading.”
In the Kentucky lawsuit, Deters alleges Guilfoyle and her lawyers made three false and defamatory statements: that his text messages were fake, that he is a “known blackmailer,” and that he owed her money. He seeks unspecified damages and says he has never been accused of blackmail.
Guilfoyle’s lawyers called the lawsuit “clearly frivolous.” They stated Deters agreed to pay her $200,000 for speaking events in Kentucky and still owed $150,000. They argued requesting payment for completed work is not corruption.
Deters also emailed Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr., and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. He asked Trump to pressure Berkshire Hathaway’s Medical Protective Insurance Co. to pay $40 million related to a doctor facing health-care fraud charges. He said he would drop the suit if Trump investigated and extradited the doctor, calling the request “hard ball,” not extortion.
Bill Giannopoulos
Junior Editor
Bill Giannopoulos is a Junior Editor at Greek City Times, covering Greek and international news, sport, and history.