Donald Trump's $5 billion lawsuit against an author who said the developer was not really a billionaire may proceed, a New Jersey judge has ruled.

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State Superior Court Judge Faustino J. Fernandez-Vina found "enough facts to establish reckless disregard for the truth in the statements about Donald Trump's worth," Trump lawyer William Tambussi said in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The trial probably will begin by the end of next year, Tambussi said.

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An angry Trump sued because "TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald" says he is "not remotely close to being a billionaire," the newspaper reported.

The book says his net worth is "somewhere between $150 to $250 million."

Trump's suit argues that assertion cost him $5 billion in lost deals and injury to his reputation -- and he wants the money and his reputation back, the Inquirer reports.

It also alleges author and New York Times reporter Timothy L. O'Brien ignored information showing Trump's worth was "many billions of dollars."

Time Warner Book Groups Inc. and Warner Books Inc. were also named in the suit.