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Story · April 18, 2026

Trump seeks 90-day pause in IRS tax-data lawsuit

By The Daily Fuckup Newsroom · From the April 18, 2026 edition

Settlement pause in Trump tax-data lawsuit Confidence 5/5
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Correction: Updated to clarify that Trump’s lawyers filed a motion on April 17, 2026 seeking a 90-day stay while settlement talks continue; no settlement has been announced.

Donald Trump’s lawyers asked a federal judge on April 17, 2026, to put his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department on hold for 90 days while the parties continue settlement talks.

The filing is a motion to stay proceedings, not an effort to end the case. Trump’s lawyers said the short pause would give both sides time to explore a settlement or narrow the issues before the court turns to the merits.

The lawsuit stems from disclosures of Trump tax information to news organizations in 2018 and 2020. Court and Justice Department records say former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn disclosed the material to news outlets, and he has since been sentenced for that conduct.

The case is an unusual one even by Washington standards: Trump is seeking damages from agencies that are part of the executive branch he now leads. That arrangement has prompted criticism from ethics and tax experts, who say it raises obvious questions about conflict, control and who is really on the other side of the suit.

For now, the question is procedural. The judge can grant the stay and let the case sit for three months, or deny it and force the litigation forward while settlement discussions continue in the background.

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