The Trump lawsuit verdict is in, and the jury has ruled that 87-year-old Jaqueline Goldberg isn’t entitled to a refund of her $500,000 deposit, much less any damages, in the high-profile civil case.
As I previously reported, Goldberg testified that the billionaire had offered her a deal that gave her a percentage of the revenue stream from the ballroom and valet parking as an incentive to purchase two hotel rooms in a Chicago luxury high-rise.
When he changed the deal, Goldberg decided not to buy — and Trump kept her half million dollar deposit.
Earlier this month, Trump was forced to fly to Chicago to testify, where he engaged in a combative exchange with Goldberg’s attorney that caused the judge to scold them both. He mostly didn’t seem to remember what he had agreed, but he said that a clause buried in the contract allowed him to cut off the revenue stream after the fact.
After five hours of deliberation, the jury returned Thursday night with a decision in Trump’s favor.
One juror told The Chicago Tribune that he felt sorry for Goldberg but “we’ve got to follow the law.”
Another juror said: “[I]t was a hard decision to make, but everything that was in the document…it was in Trump’s favor. Again, he is the owner, and he could change the [deal].”
The Donald was not a gracious winner. In post-verdict tweets, he called Goldberg “vicious” and he described her attorney as a “loser!”
While I have suspected all along that Goldberg might have been looking for a way to back out of the deal in the aftermath of 2007 economic collapse, Donald Trump’s behavior is unlikely to win new friends for the 66-year-old The Apprentice reality TV star. Take a look:
“@randyrolph: @ realdonaldtrump Shelly Kulwin says your a lyin’ dog Mr. Trump.” Shelly Kulwin is a really bad lawyer who lost big today(fool)
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 24, 2013
I loved beating these two terrible human beings. I would never recommend that anyone use her lawyer, he is a total loser!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2013
The so called 87 year old “lady” was a vicious and skilled investor who was trying to rip me off with made up facts and a blowhard lawyer.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2013
I would have pocketed my $500K with silence and a smile. But The Donald just can’t stop tweeting in the aftermath of the Trump lawsuit verdict.
[Donald Trump photo by lev radin / Shutterstock.com ]
