Kimberly Guilfoyle is facing a defamation lawsuit from the Trump donor whose allegations helped fuel the controversy that preceded her resignation as U.S. ambassador to Greece earlier this week. Eric Deters filed suit against Guilfoyle and attorneys Jesse Binnall and David M. Schwartz in Kentucky's Kenton Circuit Court on Thursday, accusing them of defamation and false-light invasion of privacy.
The lawsuit also includes a breach-of-contract claim against Guilfoyle. Deters is seeking compensatory and punitive damages and has requested a jury trial. The filing marks the latest escalation in an extraordinary public feud between Guilfoyle and Deters, a longtime supporter of President Donald Trump who says he previously paid Guilfoyle roughly $300,000 for appearances at his conservative Freedom Fest events.
It comes just two days after the White House announced that Guilfoyle had been asked to resign from her diplomatic post following reports about her dealings with Deters. Guilfoyle has denied wrongdoing and said after her resignation that she would vigorously defend her name and reputation. Newsweek has reached out to the White House for comment.
Guilfoyle's attorneys have also been contacted for comment. The lawsuit stems in part from statements that Deters says Guilfoyle and her attorneys made after The Wall Street Journal contacted them while reporting allegations he had raised about the ambassador. According to the lawsuit, Deters says the Journal's Dana Mattioli told him Guilfoyle and her legal team characterized text exchanges he provided as false and described him as a "known blackmailer." Deters denies those assertions and says the messages are authentic.
He also disputes a claim that he owed Guilfoyle money. I have never been accused of or charged with blackmail," Deters wrote in the lawsuit. Guilfoyle has denied allegations that she sought an improper payment from Deters.
Her attorneys previously told Newsweek they had not seen the texts in their original form and therefore could not authenticate them. The lawsuit follows Deters's allegation that Guilfoyle asked him in July 2025, shortly before her Senate confirmation hearing, to pay $100,000 toward her American Express account. Deters characterized the alleged request as part of a "pay-to-play" arrangement connected with assistance he sought from Guilfoyle concerning fugitive former surgeon Atiq Durrani.
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