• Trump sued Mary Trump for giving the New York Times information for a 2018 story about his taxes.
  • A judge has now ruled that the lawsuit against his niece is allowed to go ahead.
  • Trump's minor legal victory came the same day he was indicted for the second time.

Former President Donald Trump's lawsuit against his niece Mary Trump can proceed, a judge has ruled, according to Bloomberg. 

The former president claims that when his niece provided information to The New York Times for its 2018 report on his taxes, she violated confidentiality provisions of a 2001 settlement related to the family property business.

On Friday, New York state court Justice Robert Reed rejected Mary Trump's argument that her uncle's lawsuit violated a state law against frivolous legal suits "aimed at chilling freedom of speech and the press," Bloomberg reported.

The decision was described as a "modest procedural victory" by Bloomberg.

The ruling came the same day that Trump was indicted for the second time, this time on 37 charges linked to Trump taking government records to Mar-a-Lago.

Mary Trump weighed in on the indictment in a blog post, in which she said there was "nothing he won't do to get away with his crimes," per Newsweek. 

Regarding the lawsuit between uncle and niece, the New York judge said that Trump could pursue a breach-of-contract claim but dismissed allegations of unjust enrichment and bad-faith conduct, per Bloomberg.

Reed had earlier dismissed the former president's claims against the newspaper over the Pulitzer Prize-winning story and ordered him to pay their legal fees and costs.

Trump's attorney Alina Habba said that it was "no surprise" that Mary Trump violated the older settlement, per Bloomberg.

"Mary Trump had already received a lucrative settlement in the estate proceedings, but she greedily sought to exploit the situation further by disclosing confidential information in violation of an agreement that she freely signed," Habba said.

Mary Trump will most likely appeal the ruling, Bloomberg reported.

A representative for Mary Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, which was sent outside of normal working hours.

She has long been an outspoken critic of her uncle in recent years.

She has accused him of being a "fascist" and a "loser." The former president, in turn, referred to her as a "seldom-seen niece" and a "mess."