Trump
Sues Writer for $5bn for Saying He's Only Worth
$250m
As reported by the (London)
Independent: "Donald Trump, the property
developer, reality show host and now crusader
for truth in reporting, has filed a $5bn (£2.8bn)
lawsuit against a writer for The New York Times
who dared suggest in a book that the man with
the bouffant hair and the serial trophy wives
is not nearly as rich as he claims.
"The
suit, filed in a New Jersey court, seems as
oversized as Mr Trump's public persona. But
it claims that a reporter, Timothy O'Brien,
egregiously mis-stated details of the tycoon's
personal and business lives and went far beyond
the line by suggesting that he "was not
close to being a billionaire".
"In
two decades of hogging New York City's headlines,
Mr Trump's business dealings have taken him
on a roller-coaster of financial fortunes, with
some of his business brushing with bankruptcy.
"...The
contention of Mr O'Brien is that assessments
of Mr Trump's personal wealth, mostly as stated
in the annual Forbes magazine list of America's
richest people, have been far removed from the
truth.
"...The
suit is demanding an extraordinary $2.5bn in
compensation for the alleged slight as well
as another $2.5bn in punitive damages.
>"Only
last year, his casino business, heavily centred
on Atlantic City in New Jersey, emerged from
bankruptcy and he was forced to cede overall
control. He said, however, that casinos only
accounted for 1 per cent of his net worth..."
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