Trump accused of stiffing over 200 Taj Mahal Casino subcontractors

According to USA Today, Trump has left a trail of broken promises and debts in his wake over the years as a result of his long string of failed businesses, multiple bankruptcies and a cavalier attitude regarding his obligations to others.

Mr. Trump’s withholding of payments stood out as particularly aggressive in the industry and in the broader business world, said some vendors who had trouble getting paid.

The entire USA Today report is worth a read. The final bill came to $83,600, but the contractor refused to pay it.

Donald Trump told Edward Friel he could still work on future projects, said Paul Friel, adding that the invitation undercut the argument that the work was not satisfactory. Then Trump offered to hire Friel on other projects he was working on.

Trump defended the lawsuits vaguely, as he usually does: “Let’s say that they do a job that’s not good, or a job that they didn’t finish, or a job that was way late”.

Edward Friel Jr. was a cabinet builder from Philadelphia who landed a huge contract worth $400,000 and he was set to build the base fixtures for bars, slot machines, registration desks, and many other cabinets in Trump Plaza back in the ’80s. “That began the demise of the Edward J. Friel Company… which has been around since my grandfather”, he said.

Keep in mind, Trump has picked up voter support over the previous year in part by touting his private-sector successes.

USA Today recently published a story about 3,500 lawsuits filed against Trump and his businesses in the past 30 years.

According to USA Today, which focussed on Trump’s legal battles with “ordinary Americans”, 253 subcontractors, 48 waiters and dozens of bartenders have accused the presumptive Republican nominee’s companies of failing to pay them either on time or in full. Several law firms who represented Trump in these cases have also turned around and sued him over non-payment.

The newspaper reviewed more than 200 liens filed by contractors and workers and records released by casino regulators for subcontractors who weren’t paid in full or on time. To cement the mistake, Trump’s attorneys reportedly winced and tried to make eye contact with a witness, the general contractor for the Doral renovation, who claimed during courtroom testimony that a conscious decision had been made not to pay the painter. In his interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump said that: “I love to hold back and negotiate when people don’t do good work”, while paying others on time if he and other company officials are satisfied with the work. “That’s what the country should be doing”.

The saying goes that the rich stay rich because they spend money intelligently, but with this report it looks more and more like Trump stays rich because he routinely rips people off and ruins their businesses.

Also last month, a judge ordered the Miami golf course and resort to be foreclosed on if Trump did not settle his $30K+ debts with a painter.