Election 2016

Report: Trump Businesses Sued 8 Times for Violating the Disabilities Act

Written by SK Ashby

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has boasted that he "doesn't settle" lawsuits because he always wins, which is true except for all those times he didn't.

Ben Walsh at the Huffington Post reports Trump has been sued for violating the Americans with Disability Act at least 8 times and that he eventually settled most of the claims, but that doesn't really convey just how big of an asshole Trump is.

In a couple cases in which Trump eventually settled, he first tried to shift the blame and financial responsibility onto contractors who worked for him.

When a disabled Purple Heart veteran filed a lawsuit in 2004 alleging that the Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York lacked proper handicapped-accessible emergency exits, guest rooms and restrooms, Trump dragged the case out for three years. He tried to get the lawsuit dismissed and counter-sued his own architects to try and shift liability to them, but a judge dismissed that attempt. Trump eventually settled and agreed to make changes to the hotel.

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For example, in 2001, two wheelchair users alleged that the wheelchair lift at Trump International was kept locked, and the employee who eventually unlocked it couldn’t operate it. In court records, one of the plaintiffs, Robert Levine, said the experience made him feel like a “second class citizen.” The other plaintiff, Frieda Zames, said it was like being a “grade school child asking permission to go to the restroom.”

As in the 2004 lawsuit, after a judge denied Trump’s motion to dismiss the case, Trump counter-sued his architect to try to shift liability. Trump “amicably settled” the 2001 case in 2009, when both he and the plaintiffs agreed to dismiss the complaint.

It's always someone else's fault with Donald Trump. It's always someone else's responsibility and financial burden. This self-described billionaire has fought years-long lawsuits to avoid spending relatively meager amounts to make his businesses accessible. This is who he is.

At least one complaint filed against Trump's Plaza Hotel was dismissed in 2009 because Trump declared bankruptcy.

The choice couldn't be more clear in this election.