A federal judge on Friday dismissed a preemptive lawsuit brought by author and journalist Michael Wolff against First Lady Melania Trump, sharply criticizing the filing as a “contorted” attempt that does not align with how federal courts operate.

U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, a Trump appointee serving in Manhattan, declined to exercise jurisdiction over the case despite acknowledging a genuine underlying dispute between the parties. In a 45-page opinion, Vyskocil described the litigation as marked by an “inappropriate level of tactical gamesmanship” and said she would not allow the court to be drawn into “an abusively presented spat.”

“While Plaintiff and the First Lady have a real dispute, they must litigate it according to the same procedures as everyone else,” Vyskocil wrote. “Plaintiff asks for a declaration that, if the First Lady sues him, he deserves to win. That is not how the federal courts work.”

The ruling stems from statements Wolff made linking Melania Trump to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges. Last year, Trump’s attorney Alejandro Brito sent Wolff a demand letter calling on him to delete the statements, warning that failure to do so would leave the first lady with “no alternative” but to sue for defamation. The letter cited “overwhelming reputational and financial harm.”