How many lawsuits have you been involved with?
If your name is Donald Trump the answer is 3,500 and his attorneys should be busy for the foreseeable future.
What we should keep in mind is that not all cases are the same. In some, Trump did the suing in others, he was the defendant; some were settled out of court; some were serious while others were frivolous.
There have been a variety of litigation topics including contract disputes, defamation claims, allegations of sexual abuse, cases where Trump was not the only party being sued (in several he was involved with Las Vegas casino magnates Stephen Wynn and Sheldon Adelson.)
In at least three dozen cases, the state Department of Taxation obtained liens against Trump companies for non-payment of taxes.
Who are the people suing him?
Businessmen, celebrities, personal assistants, prisoners, people in mental hospitals, and unions. So this exploration of Trump’s legal entanglements does not lend itself to simple generalizations.
The cases which follow illustrate the range of suits in which Trump has been involved. His treatment of workers has left much to be desired. Unions have alleged that he used intimidation in hiring undocumented workers.
In one such case Trump paid $475,000 settling a claim with nearly 300 Los Angeles golf club employees for unpaid wages and age discrimination.
In 1999, the Trump Organization paid an undisclosed sum when he hired undocumented Polish immigrants who worked 12 hour shifts, seven days a week, with no overtime. This from a man who promises to make America great again!
Many women have sued Trump for sexual misconduct.
Some have settled out of court or are currently in litigation. One such person was Sheena Monnen, a Miss U.S.A. contestant who claimed on her Facebook page that the pageant was “fraudulent,” “trashy” and “rigged.”
For her efforts, Trump sued her for five million dollars. Why has it been so difficult to get the charges against Trump to stick?
For one, Trump has deep pockets and going up against his attorneys is costly. Then there’s having to relive the embarrassment of the original encounter?
And, do you want to accuse a man who is a celebrity and one of the richest men in the world? It is only when the floodgates open and women in droves stand up that good triumphs over evil. The lesson to be learned here is that there is strength in numbers.
But why should we believe the accusers?
Here Trump’s track record is clear when it comes to sexual abuse. In 2005, Trump got caught on the infamous “Accent Hollywood” tape where he said that a celebrity could “grab their p—y” and get away with it.
What I find so remarkable is not what he said, but the fact he actually apologized.
“I’ve said and done things I regret, and the words released today in a decade old video are one of them.” Not only is this sentence grammatically incorrect, but he seems to be “walking back” his apology by stating that the event occurred decades ago.
When running the Atlantic City beauty pageant, Trump was accused of walking into the contestants’ dressing room when they were not fully clothed. In spite of these, incidents more than 50 percent of white women voted for Trump for president.
Women of color had the good sense to vote for Hillary in 2016.
In current litigation, Gloria Allred is defending Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos, adult film performer Jessica Drake and Miss USA contestant Temple Taggert. What we can glean from this is that “the Donald” is an equal opportunity sexist who does not discriminate against porn stars.
A humorous case involved comedian Bill Maher.
When Trump was claiming that Barack Obama was not a citizen, he offered $5 million if the then senator would produce his college records.
Using this as a model, Maher said he would pay Trump the same amount if he could prove he wasn’t the spawn of an orangutan.
What led to this speculation was the fact that, according to Maher, there were only two things in nature which were that shade of orange; one was an orangutan and the other was Trump’s hair.
On his HBO show, “Real Time,” Maher then flashed a picture on the screen of these two oddities (with apologies to the chimp.)
Of course, Trump took this all very seriously and had his lawyer draft a letter which read in part: “Attached hereto is copy of Mr. Trump’s birth certificate demonstrating that he is the son of Fred Trump and not an orangutan.”
Maher subsequently pointed out that Trump was so upset he couldn’t stop flinging the feces in his cage. He added that what he’d said was a parody, or “what we comedians call a joke.”
The last lawsuit concerns Trump University, founded in 2005 to teach students investing techniques so they could get rich as Trump had. Students were informed that Trump had hand-picked instructors, although when under oath he admitted he was not very involved in the process. Students in San Diego sued alleging that T.U. was a sham.
One complaint was that students were encouraged to sign up for more expensive levels of instruction. For example a “one year apprenticeship” (in reality a three-day seminar) cost $1,495; a “mentorship” at least $10,000 and the Gold Elite program which went for $35,000.
Promises that students could make tens of thousands of dollars each month were, obviously, bogus.
Meanwhile on the East Coast, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman pursued his own class-action suit.
All these cases were settled in an out-of-court settlement. Trump paid $25 million to some 6,000 former students. Did Trump admit to fraud? His organization issued a statement: “While we have no doubt that Trump University would have prevailed at trial…resolution of these matters allows President-Elect Trump to devote his full attention to the important issues facing our great nation.”
To which the tweeter-in-chief” added that he had paid only a small fraction of what he might have paid.
Never a moment of regret, remorse or apology. Looking back on Trump’s history of lawsuits, one can only agree with the long list of psychiatrists and psychologists who have concluded that Trump is emotionally unfit to hold the highest office in the free world.
When the American electorate chose him they made a monumental mistake since he poses a clear and present danger to democracy at home and world peace abroad.
Dr. Hal Sobel
Great Neck
