Donald Trump Sues (Another) Chef
Donald Trump is having himself quite a year. His presidential run means that he has to open his mouth. And every time he opens his mouth he loses business partners. And every time he loses a business partner he sues that business partner.
First it was suing Univision after the network dropped Trump's Miss Universe competition due to Trump's racist comments about Mexican immigrants. Now The Donald is suing a celebrity chef for backing out of a restaurant in a new Trump hotel. No, not that other celebrity chef he sued for backing out of a restaurant in a new Trump hotel. This is a new one.
Breach of Contract
Trump filed a breach of contract claim against Geoffrey Zakarian when the chef backed out of a restaurant in Trump's renovated Old Post Office Pavilion in downtown Washington, D.C. When he cancelled the project, Zakarian told Eater DC, "[R]ecent statements surrounding Mexican immigrants by Donald Trump do not in any way align with my personal core values." Trump is asking for $10 million and legal fees for Zakarian's restaurant company breaking their lease.
Trump also sued José Andrés for $10 million when the chef pulled out of his lease. Andrés also cited Trump's recent immigration comments as the reason he severed his ties to the project: "Donald Trump's recent statements disparaging immigrants make it impossible for my company and I to move forward with opening a successful Spanish restaurant in Trump International's upcoming hotel in Washington, D.C."
Breach of the Peace
Trump's main defense seems to be, "You knew I was a jerk when you signed the lease." In his lawsuit against Andrés, Trump's lawyers argue, "Mr. Andrés' offense is curious in light of the fact that Mr. Trump's publicly shared views on immigration have remained consistent for many years, and Mr. Trump's willingness to frankly share his opinions is widely known."
Although I'm not sure how much we should trust in a legal team that didn't know it's illegal to rape your wife. And in the least surprising news ever, the same attorney wrong on marital rape threatened to sue the writer of that story:
"You write a story that has Mr. Trump's name in it, with the word 'rape,' and I'm going to mess your life up... for as long as you're on this frickin' planet... you're going to have judgments against you, so much money, you'll never know how to get out from underneath it."
What a wonderful bunch of fellows -- who wouldn't want to do business with them?
Related Resources:
- Donald Trump Sued for Fraud Over 'Trump University' (FindLaw's Celebrity Justice)
- Donald Trump Suing Bill Maher Over $5 Million Joke - Would You Rep Him? (FindLaw's Strategist)
- Donald Trump Gets SLAPP'd by 9th; Kozinski Wants to Stop SLAPPing (FindLaw's Ninth Circuit)
- Trump Wins $5M From Miss Pennsylvania in Miss USA Lawsuit (FindLaw's Celebrity Justice)