Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump guards his financial information closely. But documents detailing his business bankruptcies during the 1990s are now available online.
The documents, uploaded by BuzzFeed on Wednesday, were previously available only in the bankruptcy court archives. Together, they provide an in-depth look at three major Trump bankruptcies: the Trump Taj Mahal Casino, Trump’s Plaza, and the Trump Castle. These documents show how Trump used his bankruptcies to avoid compensating creditors, contractors, and even his own employees.
Collected below are just a few of the highlights you can look for in the largest document collection, the Trump Taj Mahal Bankruptcy proceedings.
1. Injured? Too Bad.
In 1990, casino patron Robert W. Matthews, was injured while at the Taj. Matthews hired an attorney to pursue an injury claim. His attorney struggled to get through to a Taj representative. When the casino entered bankruptcy, it didn’t bother letting Matthews know that the status of his case was changing.
In a similar case, Gertrude Rothman sustained an injury at the Taj in 1991. Over a year later, Rothman received notice that her case was subject to bankruptcy court proceedings. But the Taj listed her address incorrectly on a list of creditors submitted to the bankruptcy court. As a result, Rothman said:
“…I missed the date set by the Court to file proof of my claim. However, I never received any notice of the bankruptcy or, specifically, notice that my claim had to be filed with the Court prior to a certain date.”
2. Dirty Laundry
Back in January, the Washington Post reported that when the Taj went belly-up,
“Large institutions took the brunt of the losses. But many small-time investors who had bought the bonds, directly or through retirement funds, also suffered losses, according to Bryant Simon, a professor at Temple University and author of ‘Boardwalk of Dreams: Atlantic City and the Fate of Urban America.’ So did the small-business owners who sold Trump paint, equipment, food, limousine services and much more.”
These new documents back these claims up. Among the casino’s many unpaid debts was a claim of $32,424.96 from Millville Laundry, Inc. The New Jersey-based laundromat eventually settled for $6,956.21, less than 25% of what they claimed.
3. Broken Contracts
Another, larger case of unpaid kept promises involved DCA, a company that apparently specialized in molding and cabinetry installation. DCA billed the casino for about $1.5 million of an estimated $3.3 million to $3.4 million contract when they left the job in the late 1980s.
Why did DCA leave the lucrative job at the Taj? After a change in ownership – Donald Trump’s purchase of the casino in 1987 – many contracts were cancelled. There was a long lull in work on the casino.
In court transcripts, one witness admits that during this lull, “DCA didn’t get paid.” When the Taj went into bankruptcy, they were still fighting to get paid for the work they did.
4. Employees Had to Fight for Their Wages
The contractors weren’t the only ones who had to fight to get what they were owed. Over 100 employees filed claims with the bankruptcy court alleging a wide variety of irregularities concerning their wages.
Some employees claimed bonuses had been withheld. Others sought payment for contract breaches. Still others argued they hadn’t been compensated for vacation time. These claims ranged from $50 up to claims of over $390,000.
5. The HERE Dispute
The Trump Taj Mahal also tried to use its bankruptcy proceedings to shirk its labor obligations. The Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees (HERE) International Union Local 54 issued a memorandum detailing how the casino ended arbitration and collective bargaining procedures that were already underway when it filed for bankruptcy. HERE’s local manager, Gene Hudgins, stated that the casino was not allowed to just cancel already-scheduled arbitration sessions. The memorandum, prepared by HERE attorneys, states:
“…The grievance and arbitration process is necessary to ensure sound labor relations between the Union and the debtor… The conduct of the Taj Mahal in refusing to permit labor disputes to proceed forward undercuts the labor agreement…”
Many union members lodged complaints due to the casino disrupting the grievance procedure. The union petitioned the court to force Trump Taj to fulfill the terms of its agreement with the union.
6. Judge Gambardella Was Pretty Awesome
Judge Rosemary Gambardella oversaw the Taj Mahal bankruptcy case. Gambardella was first female Federal bankruptcy judge, and the youngest person to ever be named to the position when she was appointed in 1985.
7. Funeral Directors vs. Trump
One of the weirdest claimants to the bankruptcy was a group of funeral directors. The New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association has a suit against Trump Taj Mahal and its parent company, Resorts International.
The case summary states that the NJSFDA filed due to an “Alleged breach of booking/engagement agreement.” There are, unfortunately, no further details. According to the 1991 document, the case was rendered “inactive as a result of Resorts bankruptcy.”
8. Beat It?
Another bizarre case involved Ike and Lynn Behar. During the bankruptcy proceedings, they sought a settlement based on their treatment at the hands of Trump bodyguards.
It’s not quite clear what happened, but either Lynn, Ike, or both were “pushed to the ground by Trump security guards escorting Michael Jackson through the casino.” This probably occurred in 1990, when Jackson attended the grand opening.
9. Declining Employee Rosters
During one period in 1991, Trump Taj Mahal hired 167 employees, but lost 289 employees. It’s not clear how many were lost through resignation, or how many were lost through termination. Nor is it clear how typical these numbers were.
If they do represent a typical pay period, though, it suggests that the Taj had a hard time keeping employees. And after reading the bankruptcy documents, it’s no wonder why.
Check out this video about the Supreme Court refusing to step in on Trump’s bankruptcy proceedings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeNSR2n1sns&ab_channel=wochitNews
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
