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Title: Donald Trump still battling lawsuits from defunct Trump University
Source:
CNN Money
URL Source: http://money.cnn.com/2015/07/24/new ... -university-lawsuit/index.html
Published: Aug 15, 2015
Author: Jeanne Sahadi and Karen McGowan
Post Date: 2015-08-15 14:22:58 by Tooconservative
Keywords: None
Views: 3680
Comments: 43
Trump is involved in two lawsuits brought by former students and one by the New York Attorney General. The Donald is expected to be questioned under oath next month in a class action lawsuit brought by Art Cohen, who spent more than $36,000 on the Trump programs. Cohen's suit alleges that Trump University failed to deliver on its promises to provide a premier education. Trump University, launched in 2005, promised to teach students the mogul's investing techniques to get rich on real estate. But the suit claims the teachers were not professors hand-picked by Trump as advertised, but rather independent contractors paid commissions for sales of the seminars and products. The suit also alleges that the University would "upsell" students in its initial free seminar to buy a $1,495 "one year apprenticeship" -- which was effectively a three-day seminar. Then if they bought that, the teachers would upsell them again to buy "mentorships" at a cost of $10,000 and up. The most expensive, the Gold Elite program, cost $35,000. "Even then, after investing nearly $36,500, students still do not receive Defendant Trump's 'secrets' they were promised, but are constantly subjected to upsell of additional Live Events, products and books," the Cohen suit said. Trump's camp rejects the allegations. "Mr. Cohen's claims are completely baseless," said Alan Garten, the executive vice president and general counsel of The Trump Organization. Jason Forge, an attorney representing Cohen, said "We'd rather try this case in court." In addition to Trump's upcoming deposition, more information about his financial stake in the school may be revealed. U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel in California ordered that the plaintiff may reopen depositions of various Trump witnesses where they were asked but didn't answer questions about the money Trump put into -- and received from -- Trump University. Cohen's Trump University suit isn't the first. Another class action suit representing students in California, Florida and New York made similar claims and is still pending. And in a suit brought by the State of New York, a trial court found Trump was personally liable for running an unlicensed school and must pay restitution to approximately 800 consumers nationwide who took courses after May 31, 2010 from the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative (formerly known as Trump University). In addition, the court authorized Trump's attorneys to take the deposition of more than 5,000 consumers who took courses before that date and for whom New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is seeking restitution under claims of fraud.
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Presidential candidate Donald Trump wants to "Make America Great Again!" Before he can do that, he has to answer to allegations that his now-defunct Trump University was a scam.
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And in a suit brought by the State of New York, a trial court found Trump was personally liable for running an unlicensed school a
Republicans believe in formal licensing and credentialing by the state in order to do business?
#2. To: Vicomte13 (#1)
Trump University, launched in 2005,
Trump was a registered Dim in 2005.
#3. To: Fred Mertz (#2)
Trump was a registered Dim in 2005.
Like most New Yorkers.
#4. To: Vicomte13, TooConservative (#1) (Edited)
Clearly a scam on Trump's part by Democrat standards but acceptable by Republican standards.
#5. To: TooConservative (#0) (Edited)
Trump university impresses me as a fraudulent operation issuing worthless bogus degrees to suckers with the aid of a xerox machine. It should be an embarrassment to Trump. It's one of the reasons I mistrust Trump although he may be temporarily useful and even a necessity to initiate overthrow of the present system. He is not nearly as fraudulent as the typical politician.
#6. To: Pericles (#4)
Clearly a scam on Trump's part by Democrat standards but acceptable by Republican standards.
We'll see. For a billionaire like Trump, is it acceptable to scam people with fraudulent real estate courses where they are not taught what was promised, namely, the methods that Trump uses to make real estate deals around the world?
Trump is being sued by former students in at least three different state lawsuits and by New York state as well. You don't suppose that other states that happen to have Republican attorneys general may decide they want to file lawsuits against Trump as well?
Trump changing the name of his get-rich-quick seminar scam from Trump University to Trump Entrepreneur Initiative may not smell so good to voters.
Being embroiled in lawsuits over a seminar scam will not make Trump any new fans. The lawsuits make him look like a billionaire con man.
#7. To: Vicomte13 (#1)
Republicans believe in formal licensing and credentialing by the state in order to do business?
By God, we've finally found the one Republican scumbag tycoon that you love. Well, other than your little crush on Joe Biden.
#8. To: TooConservative (#6)
We'll see. For a billionaire like Trump, is it acceptable to scam people with fraudulent real estate courses where they are not taught what was promised, namely, the methods that Trump uses to make real estate deals around the world?
It is not acceptable which is why he lost the case. All I am saying is the Republicans brought up his bankruptcy cases but did not bring this case up. So hence it seems Republicans maybe are OK with this but not OK with bankruptcy. Democrats are more OK with bankruptcies.
#9. To: Pericles (#8)
So hence it seems Republicans maybe are OK with this but not OK with bankruptcy. Democrats are more OK with bankruptcies.
They're both too comfortable with bankruptcy cases. Years back, any bankruptcy would have disqualified a candidate and they knew better than to try to run. Of course, back then a divorce was usually politically fatal too.
#10. To: TooConservative (#0)
"Even then, after investing nearly $36,500, students still do not receive Defendant Trump's 'secrets' they were promised"
Sure they did. THEY'RE the secret!
If you want to be a multi-billionaire like Trump, you find a couple of thousands of suckers willing to pay $36,500 to learn how they, too, can become a multi-billionaire. As though there's a secret to real estate that only Trump knows. Buy low, sell high. How about that?
Everyone wants to "get rich quick" and some are willing to stupidly part with $36,500 to do so. P.T. Barnum was right. There's a sucker born every minute.
#11. To: misterwhite (#10)
We'll see how the voters like learning more about someone with $10 billion (supposedly) running real estate seminar scams on people. Especially as these cases keep hitting the news as the court cases unwind.
#12. To: TooConservative (#11)
We'll see how the voters like learning more about someone with $10 billion (supposedly) running real estate seminar scams on people.
We'll see how the voters like learning more about someone with $10 billion running real estate seminar scams on people (supposedly).
You misplaced the "supposedly".
We'll see? Then why don't you wait? Why are you posting this now when the whole thing may be thrown out? This isn't the first time that someone got upset because they didn't become a millionaire "as promised".
#13. To: Pericles (#8)
"It is not acceptable which is why he lost the case."
Who lost what case?
#14. To: misterwhite (#12)
We'll see? Then why don't you wait? Why are you posting this now when the whole thing may be thrown out? This isn't the first time that someone got upset because they didn't become a millionaire "as promised".
Trump loves to advertise his deal-making abilities.
Well, this was one of his deals. People will want to know how much Donald made, how much he invested, whether he was merely the front man, the respectable name, for a group of organized swindlers.
#15. To: TooConservative (#14)
"Well, this was one of his deals."
To me, this looks like no more than a clash between what was expected and what was promised.
No different than, "Trina Thompson has sued her alma mater, Monroe College of New York, for $72,000 -- the full cost of her tuition and then some -- because she cannot find a job."
#16. To: misterwhite (#15)
No different than, "Trina Thompson has sued her alma mater, Monroe College of New York, for $72,000 -- the full cost of her tuition and then some -- because she cannot find a job."
That's a quaint opinion. We'll see how the courts and juries see this. I would expect other attorneys general to file lawsuits too, provided they have consumer protection laws already in place.
Teh Donald will not like it when the attorneys start using subpoenas during discovery to depose him and expose his records to the public.
Of course, you'll still be here at LF, making up excuses for Tycoon Trump bilking all these people out of their money as the front man for a group of swindlers.
#17. To: TooConservative (#16)
"Of course, you'll still be here at LF, making up excuses for Tycoon Trump bilking all these people out of their money as the front man for a group of swindlers."
Whoa! Trial over? Verdict in?
Yeah, keep posting the rumors, innuendo and gossip, trying to rain on our parade. It just makes you look like the bitter fool your are.
Trump just hit you right between the eyes with his "deport them all" immigration plan and not a peep from you. Oh, that's right. You don't like facts. You prefer to deal in speculation.
#18. To: misterwhite (#17)
Whoa! Trial over? Verdict in?
One verdict (NY state) is in. Trump lost.
Two more civil suits are pending in NY.
More civil suits (including class actions) in CA and FL. Probably more to come once some lawyers or AG's sniff out some easy money (if the state where the "students" reside have strong consumer protection laws).
Trump just hit you right between the eyes with his "deport them all" immigration plan and not a peep from you. Oh, that's right. You don't like facts. You prefer to deal in speculation.
Trump says something different every single day. Which means you can't trust anything he says on the subject. He's had about 4 different positions on the illegals over the last 10 days (plus he says Sessions is writing his actual position).
What is Trump's actual position? Depends on what day it is.
I think this will wear thin with voters very quickly as they discover everyone they know thinks they are idiots to fall for this con man. In your case, you may not notice any change.
#19. To: TooConservative (#18) (Edited)
"One verdict (NY state) is in. Trump lost."
Because he called it "Trump University" and didn't have an education license. So he changed it to Trump Entrepreneur Initiative. Same school, different name.
What a Mickey Mouse lawsuit. Because of that, Trump filed a lawsuit against the state AG for $100 million for defamation.
#20. To: TooConservative (#18)
"He's had about 4 different positions on the illegals"
Different variations of the same theme. Not different positions. Have the other candidates been as forthcoming?
#21. To: misterwhite (#19)
Because he called it "Trump University" and didn't have an education license. So he changed it to Trump Entrepreneur Initiative. Same school, different name.
No, the lawsuit is about much more than that. That is only one issue.
What a Mickey Mouse lawsuit. Because of that, Trump filed a lawsuit against the state AG for $100 million for defamation.
Trump likes to sue at the drop of a hat. I'm not sure people will like that so well. Trump is a malicious and litigious opponent who tries to use the courts to bankrupt anyone who says anything he doesn't like. For instance, he has sued writers for saying he isn't worth as much as he claims. He has sued for people saying that he has been involved in four bankruptcies.
The term for Trump's court actions is vexatious litigation. It is how Sarah Palin was driven to resign as governor of Alaska (the legislature has since passed new laws similar to those in other states to shield Alaska governors from such legal harassment).
#22. To: misterwhite (#20)
Different variations of the same theme. Not different positions. Have the other candidates been as forthcoming?
Arguing with Trumpsters is like arguing with Moonies or Scientologists or Marxists. It's garden-variety cultism, not political debate.
#23. To: TooConservative (#21)
"No, the lawsuit is about much more than that."
Are you going to keep it a secret? What was it really about?
#24. To: misterwhite (#23)
Are you going to keep it a secret? What was it really about?
The credentialling issue is only the surface.
Other likely charges will be offenses like criminal conspiracy to defraud, false advertising, etc. Perhaps even mail fraud, depending on how the fraud scheme was structured.
After Trump is deposed, we'll likely see more charges filed, either in NY state or in other states.
#25. To: TooConservative (#24)
"Other likely charges will be offenses like criminal conspiracy to defraud, false advertising, etc. Perhaps even mail fraud, depending on how the fraud scheme was structured."
Those were in the Trump v New York suit?
Or are you speculating on new suits?
#26. To: misterwhite (#25)
Or are you speculating on new suits?
Speculating that the discovery phase of the civil suits will unearth new info about Trump's activities, in NY and in the other states.
#27. To: TooConservative (#26)
"One verdict (NY state) is in. Trump lost."
Because he called it "Trump University" and didn't have an education license.
So my statement was correct after all. We're done with that now. Correct?
Now you want to speculate on suits that are pending. You don't want to wait to see if there is even any merit to the cases. Just forge ahead with gossip, innuendo, speculation, and rumors. Really muddy up the waters, huh?
#28. To: misterwhite (#27)
Now you want to speculate on suits that are pending. You don't want to wait to see if there is even any merit to the cases. Just forge ahead with gossip, innuendo, speculation, and rumors. Really muddy up the waters, huh?
As though it makes a difference.
Here's some breaking news: LF is not the New York Times. It's a chat board.
#29. To: TooConservative (#28)
"Here's some breaking news: LF is not the New York Times. It's a chat board."
Here's some breaking news: Every article you've posted about Trump is negative.
You're right. This is a chat board. Not a personal forum for your propaganda.
You got some facts, post your facts. But there are many on this forum who happen to like Trump and posting speculative stories and lies about Trump looks more like trolling than "chatting".
#30. To: misterwhite (#29)
NRO has some additional info yesterday about the operation of TU and TEI. Obviously a piece they spent some time preparing. They did include some students who weren't complaining and suing Trump so there was some balance. What did the New Jersey couple get for shelling out more than $20,000 to a business bearing the famous Trump name? An instructor took them on a field trip to see dilapidated homes in rough Philadelphia neighborhoods, never bothering to explain how to reliably find properties to sell for a profit. “We realized that Trump was not teaching us how to find these needles in a haystack,” Richard Hewson’s affidavit says. “We concluded that we had paid over $20,000 for nothing, based on our belief in Donald Trump and the promises made at the [organization’s] free seminar and three-day workshop.” “We never tried to get our money back because at that point we thought the whole thing was a scam and that we would not be able to fight Donald Trump,” Hewson wrote. Now Trump is fighting more than a dozen other candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, making his pitch on his business record and the respect it’s garnered him from millions of voters. But will his image as a peerless, productive entrepreneur suffer because of allegations that one of his businesses — one that promised to help ordinary Americans achieve success like his — amounted to a scam? The Hewsons are not alone: A class-action lawsuit in California and an ongoing civil suit brought by New York State allege that the now-defunct Trump University, later known as the Trump Entrepreneur Institute, defrauded up to 5,000 students, who paid as much as $35,000 to learn Trump’s real-estate investment strategies and techniques. The venture was, as Trump enterprises go, not especially large — the New York complaint alleges Trump University earned about $40 million in revenue between 2005 and 2011. It’s just one of many businesses whose main selling point is Trump’s brand, a successful synthesis of prestige and up-by-your-bootstraps American entrepreneurship, quite at odds with the picture that recipients of a Trump education paint. Last October, a New York trial court ruled that Trump University and Donald Trump personally were liable for restitution for all students who had taken the course since May 2010, “because it was operating illegally without a state license,” according to the attorney general’s office. Trump representatives claim “there’s no merit to these allegations whatsoever.” Alan Garten, executive vice president and general counsel for the Trump Organization, says former students brought suit “completely [out of] a financial motivation.” The courses, he says, were “done in a first-class manner, and the materials were high-quality and first-rate.” According to the lawsuits, Trump University aggressively marketed a 90-minute free seminar that would reveal Trump’s real-estate investing secrets. “My hand-picked instructors will share my techniques, which took my entire career to develop,” said one mass mailer bearing Trump’s signature and offering two free VIP tickets to the event. At the seminar, sales representatives were waiting, reportedly tasked with persuading attendees to pay an additional $1,495 for a three-day conference (which the Hewsons signed up for) that would provide “the last real-estate education you will ever need for the rest of your life.” According to New York State’s complaint, “Trump University speakers repeatedly insinuated that Donald Trump would appear at the three-day seminar, claiming that he ‘is going to be in town’ or ‘often drops by’ and ‘might show up’ or had just left.” But instead of getting a personal lesson from Trump, both cases claim, those who signed up got to take a picture with a cardboard cutout of him — and then, the “faculty” allegedly subjected them to another sales pitch, aimed at persuading attendees to sign up for a $34,995 “Gold Elite Program,” which they said would include special training, mentorship, and access to alternative financing sources for real-estate deals. Using high-pressure techniques, the complainants allege, salesmen tried to pressure attendees into charging the $34,995 to their credit cards. “Trump University even provided handouts with scripted talking points for students to use in their phone calls with credit-card companies, explicitly encouraging people to falsify their current income, ‘add[ing] projected income from our future real estate venture[s],’ and to deceive credit card companies by declaring income streams from corporate entities that had not been created, with the script telling students: ‘If they ask you to prove income, inform them that it will be too much trouble to put all the paperwork together,’” New York State’s complaint says. Garten says: “There was no high-pressure sales techniques — that’s crazy. . . . Were there efforts to sell the course? Yes. . . . We think it provides people with real benefits. [But] no one was compelled or coerced to do that. It’s laughable. People can make their own decision.” New York State alleges that some students wiped out their savings or went heavily into debt to cover the cost of the courses, which seem to have rarely delivered on the lofty promises. The New York suit, led by Democratic attorney general Eric Schneiderman, says many of the so-called faculty “came to Trump University from jobs having little to do with real estate investments, and some came to Trump University shortly after their real-estate investing caused them to go into bankruptcy.” (Garten says the course materials were “prepared by leaders in the field,” including Ivy League professors.) Trump’s camp points to surveys conducted by attendees that reportedly show a 98 percent approval rating, but New York State alleged that some students felt pressured by their teachers to provide high rankings or were asked to rate the course before they had even completed it. National Review did find some former students who said they were satisfied with their Trump University experience. “It gave me the guidelines and knowledge to enter real-estate investment, and it was helpful for me,” says Jorge Carlos Guillen, a realtor in Virginia and Maryland. “For me, it was not a scam. I paid $10,000 for it, and I got that money back pretty quickly.” Mark Gordon, owner of MG Real Estate Solutions and Mark Gordon Properties Inc., says he paid for the whole $34,995 class and was satisfied: “Helpful would be an understatement.” “You pay your money and take your chances, and you’d better go into these kinds of things with your eyes wide open,” Gordon says. “I don’t think [Trump is] a scam artist, and I don’t have a beef with this. Some people are very unhappy, and I get that: They spent a lot of money. [But] there was never any implied guarantee that you take their training and you’re going to make millions. I never got that.” New York State has alleged that Trump’s for-profit educational company operated there between 2005 and 2011 despite repeated warnings from the state’s education department that it’s illegal to run an unchartered, unlicensed university. The state court has not yet determined how much restitution Trump University will have to pay. The trial court authorized Trump’s legal team to depose each of the estimated 5,000 consumers potentially eligible for money. The Trump Organization maintains that it was upfront about what the school was. “At no time did we ever represent that it was a certified institution,” Garten says. “It’s not like we were operating in the dark. We were open and notorious. We advertised it quite extensively. People knew exactly what we were doing, including the [state] department of education, and they were fine with it.” In October, New York State supreme-court justice Cynthia S. Kern decided that that Trump had violated state education law, writing, “It is undisputed that Mr. Trump never complied with licensing requirements.” Because of the statute of limitations, the state could not seek restitution throughout the entire time Trump operated without a license, just from 2010 onward. The ongoing lawsuits against Trump University may prove uncomfortable for Donald Trump as he embarks on a presidential campaign. Many of his businesses, like Trump University, derive their success from his brand, and yet other Trump business practices — such as his unsuccessful casinos in New Jersey’s Atlantic City and his firms’ alleged hiring of illegal immigrants on construction projects — have come under scrutiny, too. A number of Trump ventures have gone bankrupt in spectacular fashion, and even his net worth has been a matter of controversy: In a recent press release, Trump claimed his worth to be $10 billion, but Forbes magazine has pegged it at just $4 billion. The press release was prompted by Trump’s filing financial-disclosure forms with the Federal Election Commission, which is required for participation for the first Republican presidential debate, on August 6. There’s more news forthcoming, though, thanks to the Trump U lawsuits: A California federal judge ruled earlier this month that Trump has to testify on August 10 about both his net worth and his earnings from the real-estate classes. Did Donald Trump Run a Scam University?
In June 2009, Richard and Shelly Hewson paid the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative, an educational venture owned by businessman and now–presidential candidate Donald Trump, $21,490 for classes that promised to teach them how to flip homes for profit. They ponied up the high price “because we had faith in Donald Trump,” Richard wrote in a January 2015 affidavit. “We thought that if this was his program, we would be learning to do real estate deals from his people who knew his techniques.”
#31. To: TooConservative (#30)
"Using high-pressure techniques, the complainants allege, salesmen tried to pressure attendees into charging the $34,995 to their credit cards."
So these attendees were not poor.
"Yes. . . . We think it provides people with real benefits. [But] no one was compelled or coerced to do that. It’s laughable. People can make their own decision.”
Not these idiots. I bet they also bought swampland in Florida for retirement in exchange for "free" pots and pans.
#32. To: TooConservative (#30)
"In a recent press release, Trump claimed his worth to be $10 billion, but Forbes magazine has pegged it at just $4 billion."
Just imagine if it was the other way around -- Trump claims to be worth $4 billion and Forbes "discovers" he's really worth $10 billion?
Trump Lies to Election Committee! Tries to Hide Money! IRS May Investigate! Trump May Owe Millions in Back Taxes!
#33. To: TooConservative (#30)
"Last October, a New York trial court ruled that Trump University and Donald Trump personally were liable for restitution for all students who had taken the course since May 2010, “because it was operating illegally without a state license,” according to the attorney general’s office."
Even you have to agree this is bullshit. Especially when the solution was to simply change their name and everything was then legal.
#34. To: misterwhite (#33)
Even you have to agree this is bullshit.
Trump could care less what we think. But it is grist for the libmedia mill as the NY establishment continues to try to punish him in every way possible.
If he weren't running for prez, I doubt this would be getting nearly so much attention outside the NYC tabloids and a few back-page mentions in the main papers like the Slimes.
#35. To: misterwhite (#31) (Edited)
So these attendees were not poor.
So it is fine to run a grift con job as long as the victims are rich?
It isn't even a good talking point.
"Sure, that tycoon robbed that woman but at least she wasn't homeless."
Doesn't sound that good but you can try to have fun with it, I guess.
#36. To: TooConservative (#35)
"So it is fine to run a grift con job as long as the victims are rich?"
Just putting it in perspective. You feel sorry for Bernie Madoff's victims?
#37. To: misterwhite (#36)
Just putting it in perspective. You feel sorry for Bernie Madoff's victims?
Sure. A lot of them lost the vast bulk of their investment in his Ponzi scheme.
Just because they weren't left homeless doesn't make them unsympathetic.
Also, a lot of charities and foundations were invested with him and had to cut way back when their nest egg was destroyed by Madoff.
#38. To: TooConservative, misterwhite, Vicomte13 (#0)
TRUMP UNIVERSITY LLC CASE
This case was filed 04/30/2010 and is ongoing. The award of Fees and Costs related below should not be mistaken as arising from the case in main. It relates to costs and fees to defend a counter claim of defamation. The Docket Report also lists Donald J. Trump and Does 1-50 as defendants.
Docket entry #404, dated 04/09/2015 states:
ORDER Granting in Part and Denying in Part 331 Plaintiff/Counter Defendant Tarla Makaeff's Request for Fees and Costs. The Court awards Makaeff $790,083.40 in fees; the Court awards Makaeff $8,695.81 in costs; the Court Grants 368 Makaeff's ex parte application to file a limited response. Signed by Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel on 4/9/15. (dlg) (Entered: 04/09/2015)
This was against Trump University, LLC and not Donald J. Trump personally. The LLC was found to be a public figure for the limited purposes of a defamation claim over its educational practices, affecting the standard of proof required to sustain a claim of defamation, and requiring a showing of actual malice on the part of Makaeff. An attempt to show actual malice was not sustained, resulting in the award of fees and costs.
The nature of the suit is described in Tarla Makaeff et al. v. Trump University LLC et al., 9th Cir. 11-55016, CASD 3:10-cv-00940 (17 Apr 2013), OPINION at 8-10:
B.In August 2008, Tarla Makaeff attended Trump University’s three-day “Fast Track to Foreclosure Workshop” at a cost of approximately $1,495, which Makaeff says she split with a friend. Makaeff describes the seminars as slick productions featuring carefully choreographed presentations, speakers blaring “For the Love of Money,” the theme song from Trump’s hit reality television series “The Apprentice,” and Trump University representatives exhorting customers to raise their credit card limits, ostensibly to enable “real estate transactions,” but actually to facilitate the purchase of the $34,995 “Trump Gold Elite Program.”
Apparently persuaded, Makaeff paid $34,995 to enroll in the Gold Elite Program, which entitled her to four three-day “advanced training workshops,” a three-day “mentoring session in the field,” and “training publications, software, and other materials.” Makaeff’s satisfaction with the program was short-lived. In April 2009, after completing five more programs and workshops, and after seven months of the Gold Elite Program, she wrote an email to Trump University complaining that she was in a “precarious financial position” and that she “did not receive the value that I thought I would for such a large expenditure.” Makaeff had earlier spoken by phone with a Trump University representative who had told her that she was ineligible for a refund of the cost of the program. In response to Makaeff’s email, Trump University offered more free “mentoring services,” which Makaeff accepted.
By Fall 2009, however, the relationship between Makaeff and Trump University had gone irretrievably south. Makaeff wrote to her bank and the Better Business Bureau, contacted government agencies, and posted on Internet message boards about her dispute with Trump University. Makaeff requested a refund of $5,100 from her bank for services charged for Trump University programs. In the letter to the Better Business Bureau, Makaeff requested a refund of her payments for services that she did not receive. In both letters, Makaeff asserted that Trump University engaged in “fraudulent business practices,” “deceptive business practices,” “illegal predatory high pressure closing tactics,” “personal financial information fraud,” “illegal bait and switch,” “brainwashing scheme[s],” “outright fraud,” “grand larceny,” “identity theft,” “unsolicited taking of personal credit and trickery into [sic] opening credit cards,” “fraudulent business practices utilized for illegal material gain,” “felonious teachings,” “neurolinguistic programming and high pressure sales tactics based on the psychology of scarcity,” “unethical tactics,” “a gargantuan amount of misleading, fraudulent, and predatory behavior,” and business practices that are “criminal.” Trump University claims that Makaeff published similar statements to unknown third parties and to the general public on the Internet.
In April 2010, Makaeff filed a class action complaint against Trump University, accusing it of, among other things, deceptive business practices. Trump University counterclaimed against Makaeff for defamation based on the statements in her letters and Internet postings. Thereafter, Makaeff moved under California’s “anti-SLAPP” law, California Code of Civil Procedure § 425.16, to strike the defamation claim, a motion the district court denied. While it held that Trump University’s suit arose from protected conduct under the anti-SLAPP statute, the court concluded that Trump University had demonstrated a reasonable probability of prevailing on the merits of its defamation claim, and therefore dismissal of that claim under the anti- SLAPP statute was not warranted.
http://www.law360.com/articles/601383/the-donald-will-not-be-deposed-again-in-trump-u-suit
The Donald Will Not Be Deposed Again In Trump U. SuitBy Michael Lipkin
Law360 San Diego
December 3, 2014, 9:20 PM ET...
The case is Tarla Makaeff et al. v. Trump University LLC et al., case number 3:10-cv-00940, in the U.S. District court for the Southern District of California.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2015/04/20/798-000-award-against-trump-university.htm
$798,000 Award Against Trump UniversityBy Rebekah Kearn
Monday, April 20, 2015
Last Update: 7:23 AM PT
Courthouse News Service
Makaeff’s Anti-SLAPP Motion (Finally) Granted in Lawsuit Against Trump University – Anti-SLAPP Statute Still Applicable to State Claims in Federal CourtPosted By Evan Mascagni
Jun 24, 2014
California's Anti-SLAPP Project
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/08/24/trump-university-fraud-ny/2696367/
N.Y. AG sues Trump, 'Trump University,' claims fraudMichael Gormley
Associated Press 7:09 p.m. EDT
August 26, 2013
#39. To: nolu chan (#38)
The Donald Will Not Be Deposed Again In Trump U. SuitBy Michael Lipkin
Law360 San Diego
December 3, 2014, 9:20 PM ET
I think the judge changed this in the last few months. Not that I care deeply.
#40. To: nolu chan (#38)
"$798,000 Award Against Trump University"
The way I read that award is she gets $8,000 in costs and $790,000 in anticipation of a successful Trump anti-defamation suit for $790,000. Trump is getting his own money.
#41. To: misterwhite (#40)
The way I read that award is she gets $8,000 in costs and $790,000 in anticipation of a successful Trump anti-defamation suit for $790,000. Trump is getting his own money.
That is costs and legal fees. They asked for over $1M in fees. It was awarded for the defense of an unsuccessful Trump defamation suit. It goes to the lawyers.
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