Rubio raised it in a tense moment at the debate, saying, “There are people that borrow $36,000 to go to Trump University, and they’re suing him now”. “And you know what?” On May 6, Donald Trump will have to let the courts know the answer.
Advertisement
That allegation is mostly true.
Donald Trump speaks during a caucus night rally in Las Vegas on February 23, 2016. “I want you to think that if this man is the nominee, having the Republican nominee on the stand in court being cross-examined about whether he committed fraud: you don’t think the mainstream media won’t go insane on that?”
Trump struck back, arguing that the suit is a “nonsense” civil case that he could have settled but is chosing not to. The lawsuit has wound its way through the legal system for six years. It operated from 2005-2010, was never accredited, and in 2005, the New York Education Department sent Trump a letter warning him not to call his corporation a “university” because it was unlicensed. Trump also says in the promotional video, “Are YOU My Next Apprentice?” and, “Learn from my handpicked experts how you can profit from the largest real estate liquidation in history”. Now the real-estate mogul is facing three separate lawsuits involving it.
Eric Schneiderman the New York Attorney General has filed a suit against Trump University accusing it of defrauding students.
The university was, of course, anything but. Potential customers were lured in stages, first with a free 90-day workshop that promoted a $1,495 3-day seminar and workshop that would reveal Trump’s secrets.
BLITZER: Hold on. One at a time, Mr. Trump. Shortly after filing the suit, Schneiderman claimed Trump University used “Trump’s name recognition and celebrity status to take advantage of consumers who believed in the Trump brand”. A lot of people did very well (with Trump University).
Trump’s attorney Alan Garten said many students were satisfied with the courses and the lack of success of some should not be attributed to the program.
Donald Trump has promised to make Americans great before, and as multiple lawsuits allege, it didn’t work out so well.
The fight has carried on for more than six years, although Trump recently won an important victory.
One of the California cases has been set for pre-trial motions in May and trial for August, right in the middle of the presidential campaign. In reality, they claim the organization “delivered neither Donald Trump nor a university”.
Advertisement
Trump’s lawyers have adamantly denied the charges. “There’s not many cases where there’s a presidential candidate who is one of the parties in the case”, Judge Gonzalo Curiel said. Yet, as of February 20, CBS had spent 201 minutes covering Trump, while the other two networks had spent even more time than that (317 minutes for ABC and 322 minutes for NBC).
