New Delhi, Oct. 23 -- Author Michael Wolff has sued US First Lady Melania Trump claiming that she had threated to file a $1 billion lawsuit for damages if he didn't retract his statements on her ties with Jeffrey Epstein.

"Mrs. Trump's claims are made for the sole purpose of harassing, intimidating, punishing or otherwise maliciously inhibiting Mr. Wolff's free exercise of speech," the suit filed in the in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan said.

The filing comes a week after Melania Trump's attorney Alejandro Brito sent a letter to Wolff demanding he take back the public statements he made about his client about her links to the sex offender and that he make "a monetary proposal to Mrs. Trump to ameliorate the harm that you have cause...