When did Mike Wolf's legal case begin?

1. Who is Michael Wolff and what legal action is referenced here

Michael Wolff is a journalist and author who, according to multiple outlets in the provided set, filed a civil suit against First Lady Melania Trump in New York state court to pre-empt a threatened defamation action tied to his statements about Jeffrey Epstein; reportage places that filing in late October 2025, with one outlet specifying October 21 ^{[1] [7] [2]}. Wolff’s complaint invoked New York’s anti‑SLAPP law and sought declaratory relief, attorneys’ fees and other remedies after he says Melania’s lawyers threatened a more than $1 billion suit ^{[7] [2]}.

2. Exact timing: when did the Wolff v. Trump filing begin

Deadline and other outlets report the suit was filed in New York state court “late on October 21” ^[1]. Axios and Courthouse News describe the filing as occurring “Tuesday” or “late Tuesday,” consistent with those late‑October dates ^{[7] [2]}. Crooks and Liars likewise says Wolff’s attorneys filed the case “late Tuesday” following a demand letter from Melania’s lawyers ^[8]. Taken together, available sources point to October 21, 2025, as the start of Wolff’s legal case in court ^{[1] [2]}.

3. What triggered Wolff’s filing — competing narratives

Wolff says he filed to block or respond to a threatening letter from Melania Trump’s lawyers demanding retraction and apolog y and warning of over $1 billion in damages; he framed his action as an anti‑SLAPP move and as a way to obtain subpoena powers to question the Trumps under oath about Epstein-related matters ^{[2] [9]}. Melania’s legal team, as quoted in the reporting, had asserted those public statements were false and defamatory and threatened the large monetary suit ^{[7] [8]}. The coverage shows a dispute in which Wolff characterizes the threat as intimidation and a SLAPP tactic, while Melania’s lawyers escalated the dispute with a high‑value damages demand—both claims are recorded in the reporting ^{[7] [2] [8]}.

4. What the filing seeks and legal strategy noted in reporting

Reporting says Wolff filed under New York’s anti‑SLAPP statute to preempt the threatened suit and to seek a declaratory judgment, fees and potential damages; he has publicly framed the case as a way to depose the president and first lady about Epstein-era contacts ^{[2] [8]}. News outlets note Wolff purposely filed in New York because of its stronger anti‑SLAPP protections compared with the Florida law cited by Melania’s team ^[7].

5. Beware name confusion: ‘Wolff’ vs. ‘Wolf’ vs. ‘Wolfe’

Search results include separate entries about unrelated legal matters involving people named Michael Wolf or Michael Wolfe (different spellings). For example, an EPA prosecution summary involves a Michael J. Wolf and an October 2012 discharge incident ^[3]. Other entries recount criminal cases where Michael Wolfe was arrested or sentenced in 2019–2022 for homicide ^{[4] [5]}. A 2019 local governance dispute involved a Michael Wolfe tied to a school board matter ^[6]. These are distinct from journalist Michael Wolff’s 2025 civil filing; conflating them risks factual error ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}.

6. Limitations in available reporting and next steps for verification

Available sources in this set uniformly report the late‑October 2025 filing (one dating it to October 21), but they do not provide the New York court docket number, the full complaint text, or subsequent procedural developments such as service, motions, or rulings—those items are not found in the current reporting ^{[1] [2] [7]}. To confirm the precise filing date, obtain the complaint, and track case progress, consult the New York state court docket or the published court filing. Available sources do not mention docket numbers or later court actions in this collection ^{[1] [2]}.

If you want, I can draft search queries or steps to retrieve the court docket or the complaint text so you can confirm the filing date and read the suit’s claims directly.