US court reopens Trump lawsuit against IRS over tax return leak

A federal judge in Florida has agreed to reopen a lawsuit filed by US President Donald Trump against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), in which he is seeking at least $10 billion in damages over the leak of his tax returns during his first term in office, Reuters reports.

According to documents published in the electronic court database of the Southern District of Florida, the case between Trump and the IRS was closed earlier this month after the president withdrew his lawsuit seeking $10 billion in compensation for the disclosure of his tax records.

As part of the settlement, the US Department of Justice issued a directive granting Trump and his family immunity from any ongoing tax-related proceedings.

Following the closure of the case, 35 former federal judges filed a motion requesting that the proceedings be reopened, arguing that the Justice Department had failed to disclose the terms of the agreement to the court.

Judge Kathleen Williams subsequently ruled that the plaintiff’s side must file a response to the motion by June 12 and clarify its position regarding the withdrawal of the lawsuit.

By Jeyhun Aghazada