Donald Trump: Racial discrimination case to Stormy Daniels scandal, a troubled history of over 4,000 lawsuits
Igniting a fire with his rushed tweets and controversial statements, US President Donald Trump is always in the news. In the wake of George Floyd's tragic death and Black Lives Matter protests all across the nation, Trump has been pushed on the wrong side of public opinion and most of his attempts to clarify his stance on the police reform or systemic racism have failed.
Over the last three weeks, the 73-year-old has been under the scanner after his comment on unleashing "vicious dogs" and "ominous weapons" and the staged photo-op amid peaceful protests. With the Presidential Elections 2020 approaching, he seems to be losing the public vote. Over the last 50 years, the 45th President of the United States has been reportedly involved in around 4,000 big and small legal battles. Trump has fought courthouse battles on every step — right from when he entered into the real estate arena and gambling industries during the '70s and '80s to his entrepreneurial ventures in the '90s and early 2000s and finally his transition into politics in the 2010s.
Amid all the ruckus and massive nationwide protests, here's a quick look at some of his most controversial cases:
1973: Housing discrimination case against Trump Organization
Trump's real estate company The Trump Organization was sued by the Civil Rights division of the US Justice Department for preventing people of color from renting their properties. Two years later, the trial ended in a settlement and the Trump Corporation was told to submit the list of vacancies to civil rights organizations.
1986: Trump and the short-lived USFL
Trump was one of the owners of the United States Football League (USFL) and convinced the rest of the league to sue the National Football League (NFL) for $1.7 billion due to antitrust violations. While they won the lawsuit, they were paid only $3 and it led to the death of USFL.
1990: Trump Taj Mahal and a $2 million defamation suit
Donald Trump's Atlantic City casino grabbed several eyeballs but Marvin Roffman went on record saying that the Trump Taj Mahal was bound to fail due to high operating costs according to his analysis. Trump's harsh criticism led him to lose his job but Roffman later filed a $2 million defamation suit against Trump and his company. Ultimately, it ended in a settlement and while the amount was not disclosed, Roffman said he was "very happy" with the result.
2005: TrumpNation and controversy over his billionaire status
In 2005, a book titled 'TrumpNation: The Art of Being The Donald' was penned down by New York Times journalist Timothy O’Brien, which was “a real-life study of [Trump’s] colorful and contradictory world.” The book said that Trump's net worth was somewhere in the hundreds of millions but Trump contradicted this with his billionaire status. Eventually, in 2006, he sued both O’Brien and his book’s publisher, Warner Books, for $5 billion slamming the book as a “malicious scheme” filled with “vile statements”. However, A superior court judge in New Jersey dismissed the suit in 2009.
2018: Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels
Adult film star Stormy Daniels allegedly had an affair with Trump barely a year after he married his third wife, Melania Trump, and was reportedly paid $130,000 to stay mum. Daniels later came out in the public saying she had been forced to take the deal and filed a lawsuit against attorney Michael Cohen and Trump saying he "purposely did not sign the agreement" that Cohen gave her. She then sued Trump again for denying the story and said he “falsely attacks the veracity of [her] account of the threatening incident.” The scandalous news made headlines but Daniels' lawsuit was dismissed due to Trump’s statements being protected by the First Amendment and she was told to pay $293,000 to cover Trump’s legal fees.
Trump has been in public scrutiny for over 50 years and it only grew exponentially after he became President. If you want to read more about his lawsuits, click here.