Federal court issues stay on immigration order
The federal court for the Eastern District of New York issues a stay after two of 12 refugees held at JFK airport were released, after 14 and 24 hours respectively. The ACLU had filed a petition on their behalf, but the stay is effective nationwide. Under the stay, none of the travelers held at airports across the nation can be sent back. However, the measure doesn’t mean they have to be allowed into the country – leaving them in a legal grey area. A senior Homeland Security official says that roughly 375 travelers affected by the executive order. Out of the 375, 109 were in transit to the US and denied entry. Another 173 people were stopped by airlines from boarding an aircraft to the US. An additional 81 travelers with green cards or special immigrant visas received waivers.
Two of 12 Iraqis detained at JFK are released
Two of twelve immigrants detain at JFK Airport following Trump’s executive order on immigration are released. Hameed Khaled Darweesh, who was an Army interpreter in Iraq says:
I suffered to move here, to get my family here …. I can’t go back. [I will be killed in Iraq].
Settles Trump University suit for $25 million
Trump agrees to settle three cases relating to Trump University for $25 million. The cases were brought by former students who paid $35,000 for real estate “secrets” from his “hand-picked” instructors. Trump will not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement. Schneiderman
Today’s $25 million [£20m] settlement agreement is a stunning reversal by Donald Trump and a major victory for the over 6,000 victims of his fraudulent university. The victims of Trump University have waited years for today’s result and I am pleased that their patience – and persistence – will be rewarded by this $25 million settlement.
Trump, Univision reach Miss USA settlement
Trump and Univision reach a settlement litigation that was initiated after the network decided not to air Trump’s Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants. Terms are not disclosed. Trump:
I have known Univision’s President and CEO, Randy Falco, for more than 20 years and I’m glad we are able to put these differences behind us.
Falco:
I have known Donald Trump for many years in both a personal and professional capacity and we are pleased to settle this matter and move forward.
Illegal business practices suit
New York state’s attorney general Schneiderman files a $40 million lawsuit against Trump and his for-profit investment school, accusing them of engaging in illegal business practices. The suit alleges the Trump Entrepreneur Institute – called Trump University until 2010 – operated without an educational license while misleading consumers into paying for courses promising to teach Trump’s real estate investment techniques. More than 5,000 people nationally took the courses, paying $40 million. The lawsuit seeks restitution of at least $40 million, as well as a disgorgement of profits, penalties and an injunction. Schneiderman:
No one, no matter how rich or popular they are, has a right to scam hard-working New Yorkers.
Sues Univision for $500 million
Trump sues Univision for $500 million in New York State Supreme Court for breach of contract and defamation, over a $13.5 million contract for broadcast rights to Trump’s Miss Universe Organization pageants. The parties had reached an agreement in January that included the rights to broadcast the Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and the Miss Universe competition from 2015 through 2019. Univision agreed to pay $2.5 million per year until 2017, and $3 million per year for 2018 and 2019, and to make “reasonable efforts” to broadcast it over two to three hours on a Sunday night. Trump says Univision’s’ decision not to broadcast the pageant is politically motivated and an attempt to suppress his freedom of speech:
Nothing that I stated was different from what I have been saying for many years. I want strong borders, and I do not support or condone illegal immigration.
He also says a high-ranking Univision executive called him, claiming that Univision had been “inundated with calls demanding that Univision immediately terminate its relationship” with Trump after his remarks and that they could “no longer sell” the pageant to its sponsors or viewers. Trump also claims the executive apologized to him for pulling the pageant, and that the network had decided to simply pay the Miss Universe Organization its $13.5 million in licensing fees. In a memo to staff Univision CEO Falco denies apologizing to Trump:
I can also assure you that we never apologized because we have nothing to apologize for.
Files suit against Ivana
Trump files a $25 million lawsuit against Ivana, for $25 million, saying she broke a gag clause in their divorce agreement by failing to keep quiet about his affairs. The suit accuses his ex-wife of:
Willful, deliberate and surreptitious disclosure [of his personal, professional and financial dealings].
Divorce settlement
The Trumps settle their divorce. Ivana gets a settlement of $14 million dollars, a 45-room mansion, an apartment in the Trump Plaza, and $650,000 annually. The deal is similar to their prenuptial agreement. Trump will retain the 50-room triplex they shared at the top of Trump Tower, New York. Due to Donald’s precarious financial situation, Ivana’s lawyers say she wants to take the money now rather than hold out for a better deal. If Trump is forced to file for personal bankruptcy protection, the lawyers feared that Ivana would be just one of her ex-husband’s many creditors. Donald had asked his bankers this week for $10 million to pay for the settlement, but the banks confirmed yesterday that they had refused. He said he would come up with the money, but it remains unclear where the $14 million will come from because he gets a living allowance of only $375,000 a month from the banks. Donald:
I’m very happy that this is behind me and I think it’s a real positive step for everyone.
Helicopter crash damages trial starts
In U.S. District Court in Camden, Trump’s lawyers argue that Agusta, the manufacturer of a helicopter that crashed Oct. 10, 1989, killing three executives of his New Jersey hotel casino business, are responsible for damages to the business. The suit alleges that the manufacturer knew that the rotors were defective, failed to take even minimal steps to correct the problem and thus defrauded Trump through wanton and outrageous misconduct. Trump says the crash caused his casinos to lose revenue, increased operating costs, including the price of hiring new executives. The heirs of the victims received about $1.6 million from their employment contracts with Trump. While Judge Berry expresses skepticism about the case, Trump’s lawyers cite a 1950 New Jersey Supreme Court decision that reads:
of course an employer…is free to maintain any (lawsuit) against the seller of an article for breach of a warranty of its fitness
Augusta’s attorney:
[L]ook past Trump’s claim of economic damages at what this really is . . . a wrongful-death action
Berry gives the lawyers a week to prepare further arguments.
Pays $750,000 to settle FTC antitrust suit
Trump agrees to pay a $750,000 civil penalty to settle an antitrust lawsuit brought by the FTC, alleging his 1986 stock purchase of Holiday Corp. and Bally Manufacturing Corp, as part of a takeover bid, violated the notification procedures required by the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. The law requires that buyers must notify the government before purchasing more than $15 million worth of voting stock in a company and wait 30 days before completing the transaction.
[I decided to settle the case] to avoid protracted litigation within the federal government over a highly technical disagreement between the FTC and the business community…I firmly believe that I was in full compliance with the Hart- Scott-Rodino Act reporting restrictions…The most respected lawyers in the business’ [told me the law exempted the purchase of stock options]. Bear, Stearns also gave me the same assurance. I assume Bear, Stearns will reimburse me for the expense.
NYC tenant intimidation suit
The city of New York sues Trump over alleged intimidation and harassment of tenants at his 15-story building at 100 Central Park South, which overlooks Central Park. Trump bought the building in 1981 with the intention of tearing it and the adjacent Barbizon Plaza (which he also owns) and replacing them with another of his mega-luxury towers. The suit says Trump and his agents have tried to force out the 60 or more tenants by threats of imminent demolition, spurious litigation, drastic decreases in essential services, persistent delays in repairing defective conditions, and instructing employees to obtain information about the private lives and sex habits of the tenants.
The defendants have harassed daily the occupants of said units…wrongful acts and omissions continue to date.
Trump claims he is the victim of wily, wealthy millionaire-tenants who are trying to extract exorbitant buyout money or other financial concessions from him.
Trump is not going to be harassed.
Racial discrimination lawsuit
The Justice Department sues the Trump Management Corporation for alleged racial discrimination in 39 of its buildings across New York. The Government says Trump Management has refused to rent or negotiate rentals and required different rental terms and conditions, because of race or color, as well as misrepresenting to blacks that apartments were not available. Donald Trump denies the charges:
They are absolutely ridiculous. We have never discriminated, and we never would. There have been a number of local actions against us, and we have won them all…We proved in court that we did not discriminate.