The Trump family can pretend like they live above the law all they want… but that doesn’t mean that some won’t nonetheless be pursuing what they feel to be appropriate accountability.
Eric Trump, a son of the former president, has been implicated in a new lawsuit challenging the imposition of millions of dollars in costs on residents of Trump World Tower, as it’s known. (The building is in Manhattan.) The costs are associated with plans to transform what was formerly a commercial space in the building into a claimed amenity space for residents — and as recapped by a publication called The Messenger, Eric is accused of having a financial interest in seeing the plan proceed. (The case also generally challenges the board’s method of implementation for these new development ambitions.)
Sonja Talesnik, a lawyer who works for the Trump family business, was also implicated in the alleged financial interests that it would obviously be expected drove the decision to make this transformation, no matter the costs residents are expected to bear.
Corporate entities in which Eric and Talesnik have a financial stake “have a direct or indirect ownership or equity interest in or are affiliated with the one or more of the contractors or subcontractors hired or to be hired to perform the Conversion Work,” per the lawsuit, as recapped by The Messenger. The new lawsuit, which was filed in the New York court system, is from condo owner Johanna Beiter and challenges the condo building’s board, where Eric is a member. Eric was alleged to have been involved in okaying the advancement of the conversion project. With additional costs also looming, a total of $1.75 million in costs were slated to be imposed on the Trump building’s evidently residential occupants just for the initial work.
“Beiter is seeking a judgment against the board members, attorneys fees, costs, and expenses to be determined at trial,” The Messenger reported. Elsewhere, Eric also remains implicated in the unfolding civil fraud case from New York state Attorney General Letitia James that alleges years of brazen misstatements around the values of assets at the Trump family business — claimed misrepresentations that would have been positioned to provide the Trump company with major financial benefits. The civil suit that James filed is slated to go to trial in October of this year, while Donald Trump also continues facing a criminal case in New York connected to hush money that was provided to women with whom he allegedly had affairs. Read more here.
