Judge Kathleen Williams voids Trump‑IRS settlement, calls lawsuit improper

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams of the Southern District of Florida ruled that former President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service was filed for an “improper purpose.” In a 56‑page opinion she voided the settlement that had granted Trump, his adult sons and the Trump Organization sweeping immunity from tax audits and created a $1.8 billion “anti‑weaponization” fund to compensate alleged political victims. Williams wrote that the parties “were not truly adverse” and that the case was an attempt to use the court to legitimize a self‑dealing agreement. She ordered sanctions, referred Trump lawyer Alejandro Brito to the Florida Bar for possible discipline, barred attorney Daniel Epstein from practicing in the Southern District of Florida for a year, and sent referrals to bar associations in New York, Washington DC and Florida. The decision rebukes Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is slated for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, and follows bipartisan backlash that led the administration to abandon the fund.

The ruling marks a rare judicial rebuke of a former president’s attempt to secure tax‑audit immunity through litigation against an agency he oversaw, and it may influence ongoing scrutiny of the Trump family’s finances and the confirmation prospects of senior Justice Department officials.