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President Donald Trump’s niece has filed a lawsuit accusing her uncle and other members of the Trump family of fraud.
Mary Trump has accused President Trump, in his personal capacity, along with Maryanne Trump Barry and the executor of Robert S. Trump’s estate, of eight infractions: fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, fraudulent inducement, negligent misrepresentation, civil conspiracy to commit fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment, civil conspiracy to commit fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary duty and aiding and abetting a breach of fiduciary duty.
“For Donald J. Trump, his sister Maryanne, and their late brother Robert, fraud was not just the family business — it was a way of life,” the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit recounts the history of the Trump family real estate business in New York, beginning with the 1927 establishment of Trump & Sons Inc. by Mary Trump’s great-grandmother, Elizabeth Trump, and her son, Fred Sr.
Mary Trump says when her father, Fred Jr., died in 1981 at age 42, she inherited interests including the Midland Interests, “which were held in trust on her behalf by Defendants and their co-conspirator Durben following her father’s death.”
Irwin Durben was a trustee who was appointed to act on Mary Trump’s behalf after her father’s death, according to The Hill.
When Fred Sr. died in 1999, Mary Trump was a beneficiary of both his estate and a trust he’d established on her behalf, the lawsuit says. She was the beneficial owner of land interests from her great-grandmother, midland interests from her father and estate and trust interests from her grandfather, each of these being “enormously valuable.”
The accusations made in Mary Trump’s lawsuit against President Trump, which names him specifically in his personal capacity and not as U.S. president, are presented in three main parts.
‘The Grift’
The plaintiff claims President Trump and the other defendants “siphoned millions of dollars” from her interest into entities controlled by the defendants and concealed the transfers “as legitimate business transactions.”
One example cited in the lawsuit is that of All County, a “sham corporation” set up by the defendants in 1992. All Country allegedly existed solely for the purpose of “secretly extracting funds and assets from Trump family-owned properties and entities that had other stakeholders, including Midland, and transferring those funds and assets to Defendants and those loyal to them.”
All County paid vendors for maintenance services and supplies, then issued “padded invoices to the Trump entities,” Mary Trump contends. All Country’s owners pocketed the difference.
“Defendants then prepared financial statements that disguised their grift as genuine business expenses, and thereby hid them from Mary.”
‘The Devaluing’
Mary Trump says President Trump and the other defendants repeatedly provided her with false financial statements to make her think they were protecting her interests.
She claims they “knowingly and fraudulently” understated the value of her interests, and, “through manipulation,” also drove down those interests’ actual value.
They allegedly accomplished this by obtaining fraudulent appraisals, falsifying tax returns and other documents and deliberately failing to sell property.
‘The Squeeze Out’
The lawsuit claims that after Fred Sr. passed away, Mary Trump had concerns that he had not been of sound mind at the time his 1991 will was finalized, according to the lawsuit.
A few days after Fred Sr.’s death, Robert Trump called Mary “to convey a simple message on Defendants’ behalf: It was time for Mary to relinquish her Interests.”
Mary Trump says he called her daily to try to get her to step aside, and when she held out, he demanded an in-person meeting.
According to the lawsuit, the two had multiple meetings between July and October 1999 “in which Robert tried to procure Mary’s consent to probate and relinquish her Interests.”
At their final meeting, Mary Trump claims, Robert Trump threatened that if she did not comply with the defendants’ demands, they “would bankrupt Midland and ‘leave you paying taxes on money you don’t have for the rest of your lives.’”
Relying on the fraudulent information provided by the defendants, Mary Trump says she eventually relinquished her interests on April 10, 2001.
Had the defendants provided accurate numbers concerning Fred Sr.’s estate, “Mary would not have accepted these terms,” the lawsuit says.
Many of the allegations brought in the lawsuit were covered by Mary Trump in her recent book, according to CNN.
Mary Trump seeks compensatory damages in an amount to be determined at trial excess of $500,000; punitive damages; pre- and post-judgment interest; attorneys’ fees and litigation costs; and any other relief deemed appropriate by the Court.
What do you think of Mary Trump’s accusations against her uncle, President Trump, and other members of the Trump family? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
The plaintiff is represented by Roberta A. Kaplan, John C. Quinn and Alexander J. Rodney of Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP.
The Trump Family Fraud Lawsuit is Mary Trump v. Donald J. Trump, et al., Case No. unavailable, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York.
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2 thoughts onPresident Trump’s Niece Files Lawsuit Accusing Him, Other Family Members of Fraud
Time expired for courts
If she has the proof they lied to her or threatened her, she is entitled to compensation. Criminal charges are probably warranted also.