Judge dismisses Melania Trump's £120m case against Daily Mail over 'racy' past

But First Lady's legal team will try again at New York court

The 46-year-old was born in Slovenia and moved to the US in the 1990s to work as a model (Getty)

Melania Trump’s $150m (£120m) defamation lawsuit against the Daily Mail has been dismissed by a US county judge.

The First Lady kick-started legal action against the UK newspaper, along with its website MailOnline, after it published claims she once worked for a high-end escort business.

But a judge in Maryland, where the lawsuit was filed, has reportedly rejected the attempt because the court lacks jurisdiction to hear a case involving a foreign company.

Buzzfeed News reports that Ms Trump’s attorneys tried to prove there was a direct connection because the website receives 4,600 article views per hour and 72,600 unique browsers per day in the state.

Mail attorneys however argued the British media company, based in Kensington, west London, had no ties to Maryland.

Ms Melania’s legal team reportedly plan to re-file the case in New York, where the MailOnline has an office.

Its lawsuit against Tarpley.net however, a website by political blogger Griffin Tarpley based in Maryland which also published the claims, is scheduled for a trial.

The Mail retracted its story, and published a full statement, after Ms Trump announced legal action.

The article cited a Slovenian magazine’s report and in the print tabloid version the headline read: ‘Racy photos, and troubling questions about his wife’s past that could derail Trump’.

An attorney for the 46-year-old, who was born in Slovenia, moved to the US to work as a model in the 1990s, and married the 70-year-old property tycoon in 2005, said the statements were “100% false”.

The Independent has contacted the White House, Mr Tarpley and the Mail for further comment.