Melania Trump hires Hulk Hogan's attorney to sue the Daily Mail over 'escort' claims

Melania Trump, wife of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, acknowledges the applause at Republican National Convention after she gave a speech that some say sounded familiar. Melania Trump, wife of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, acknowledges the applause at Republican National Convention after she gave a speech that some say sounded familiar. Photo: Alex Wong /Getty Images Photo: Alex Wong /Getty Images Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Melania Trump hires Hulk Hogan's attorney to sue the Daily Mail over 'escort' claims 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

Melania Trump is suing the Daily Mail for writing, what she claims, was a defamatory article, according to media reports.

Trump is represented by Charles Harder, Hulk Hogan's attorney in the case that ultimately brought down Gawker, a media website which will close operations this week, Politico reported.

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The alleged defamatory article is titled: "Naked photoshoots, and troubling questions about visas that won't go away: The VERY racy past of Donald Trump's Slovenian wife."

In the article, the Daily Mail reported that a Slovenian magazine published a story claiming the modeling agency Trump worked for in New York was actually an escort service.

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"There is no evidence to back up these startling claims made in Suzy magazine," Daily Mail reporter Natalie Clarke wrote in her story.

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"Mrs. Trump has placed several news organizations on notice of her legal claims against them, including Daily Mail among others, for making false and defamatory statements about her supposedly having been an "escort" in the 1990s," Harder said in an email to Politico. "All such statements are 100 percent false, highly damaging to her reputation, and personally hurtful. She understands that news media have certain leeway in a presidential campaign, but outright lying about her in this way exceeds all bounds of appropriate news reporting and human decency."

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5