‘NOT REASONABLE’

Judge Invalidates Trump’s 2016 Campaign NDA

Judge Paul Gardephe wrote that the contract’s “vagueness and breadth” precluded any coherent enforcement.

A federal judge in New York on Tuesday night voided the non-disclosure agreement signed by staffers on Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Gardephe wrote, “The vagueness and breadth of the provision is such that a Campaign employee would have no way of knowing what may be disclosed… The non-disclosure provision is thus much broader than what the Campaign asserts is necessary to protect its legitimate interests, and, therefore, is not reasonable.” Gardephe further wrote that the campaign was “not operating in good faith” in its past attempts to enforce the NDA. Jessica Denson, a former Hispanic outreach coordinator for Trump, brought the case after an arbitrator ruled she must pay the campaign $50,000 for breaking the agreement, though that judgment was later overturned. She told Politico that Tuesday’s ruling left her “overjoyed.” The ruling potentially frees up hundreds of campaign staffers to speak without fear of reprisal about their work on the road to the White House.