1973 – 2019 · State & Federal Actions · Primary Sources Only
The Business Record
Fraud, discrimination, and breach of contract — documented in court filings decades before he entered politics. Four independent legal actions spanning 40 years.
Pre-Politics Business Settlements & Documented Losses
$54,000,000+
Documented settlements, court-ordered damages, and contractor losses across 40 years
$25,000,000
Trump University fraud settlement
Federal court — 2018
$2,000,000
Trump Foundation court-ordered damages
NY Supreme Court — 2019
$25,000,000+
Estimated contractor losses
3,500+ suits & liens documented
$2,000,000+
Additional state settlements
State and local actions
How to Read This Section
This section covers four types of legal actions, each with different implications.
A court-supervised agreement where the defendant agrees to change specific practices. It is not an admission of guilt, but it is a binding legal order enforced by a federal judge. The DOJ only pursues consent decrees when it believes it has sufficient evidence of wrongdoing.
A payment made to resolve a lawsuit before trial. Settling does not mean admitting fault, but it does mean paying real money to real plaintiffs. Trump paid $25 million to settle the Trump University fraud case — 10 days before it was scheduled to go to trial.
When a court forces an organization to shut down. The Trump Foundation was dissolved by court order after the NY Attorney General proved it was used to pay business debts and fund a political campaign.
When a contractor or vendor completes work and is not paid. Over 3,500 lawsuits, liens, and judgments have been documented against Trump entities for failure to pay workers ranging from dishwashers to glass companies to his own lawyers.
Every entry below is sourced to a court filing, government agency press release, or legal database. Verify any entry independently.
Four Documented Cases
The evidence tier
Each card links directly to the official court filing, government press release, or primary investigation.
Tier 1 · Federal Court Consent Decree · 1973 – 1975
DOJ Housing Discrimination Lawsuit
United States v. Fred C. Trump, Donald Trump, and Trump Management, Inc.
The U.S. Department of Justice sued Donald Trump, his father Fred Trump, and their real estate management company for systematic violations of the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The complaint alleged that the company denied housing to Black and Puerto Rican applicants across their New York City properties. The FBI later released investigative records documenting interviews with employees and applicants, including testimony from a leasing manager who told a Black applicant that the company "discriminated against blacks."
Outcome: After a two-year fight — including a $100 million countersuit by Trump against the DOJ that the court dismissed — the parties entered a Consent Decree in June 1975. Trump Management was required to place "Equal Housing Opportunity" ads, provide vacancy lists to the Urban League, implement employee training, and maintain rental records for government review.
- Filed
- October 15, 1973
- Case No.
- 1:73-cv-01529 (E.D.N.Y.)
- Defendants
- Fred C. Trump, Donald Trump, Trump Management Inc.
- Charge
- Fair Housing Act violations — racial discrimination in rentals
- Countersuit
- $100M Trump countersuit against DOJ — dismissed by court
- Resolution
- Consent Decree entered June 1975
- Prior Action
- 1968 NYC Human Rights Commission already found discrimination at a Trump property
Tier 2 · Aggregated Court Records · 1980 – 2016
3,500+ Unpaid Contractor Lawsuits
USA Today data investigation — June 2016
A comprehensive 2016 USA Today data investigation aggregated over 3,500 legal dockets, liens, and judgments filed against Trump entities by contractors and workers who completed work and were not paid in full — or at all. The pattern spans from the 1980s through 2016 and is concentrated around the Atlantic City casino projects.
Pattern: When small businesses sued, Trump's legal team frequently counter-sued or prolonged litigation until the smaller company ran out of money to fight. The Atlantic City casino operations filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy four times (1991, 1992, 2004, 2009). In each case, small-business contractors bore disproportionate losses compared to institutional lenders.
Documented Examples
Edward Friel Jr. — Cabinet maker, Philadelphia
Contracted to build cabinets for the Trump Taj Mahal. Completed the work. Paid only $83,600 of a $400,000 contract. His company eventually went out of business.
Marty Rosenberg — Paint supplier
Supplied paint for the Trump Taj Mahal. Invoices went unpaid. Was offered 30 cents on the dollar to settle.
Andrew Tesoro — Real estate broker, Connecticut
Worked to sell units in a Trump-branded project. Commission invoices went unpaid. Filed suit and settled for a fraction of the amount owed.
Multiple law firms retained by Trump
In a documented pattern, Trump's own attorneys filed liens against his companies for unpaid legal bills — including firms that had represented him in the very contractor lawsuits.
- Period
- Approximately 1980 – 2016
- Volume
- 3,500+ documented liens, suits, and judgments
- Parties
- Dishwashers, plumbers, electricians, glass firms, Trump's own lawyers
- Bankruptcies
- Atlantic City casinos: Chapter 11 filed 1991, 1992, 2004, 2009
- Pattern
- Counter-suits and prolonged litigation used against smaller claimants
Tier 1 · Federal Court Settlement · 2005 – 2018
Trump University — $25 Million Fraud Settlement
Three separate lawsuits · Judge Gonzalo Curiel · S.D. Cal.
Trump University operated from 2005 to 2010 as an unaccredited for-profit seminar series. It was not a licensed university. Students paid between $1,495 and $35,000 for courses promising access to Trump's personal real estate investment strategies and instructors "hand-picked" by Trump. In 2013, the New York AG filed a $40 million civil suit for consumer fraud, illegal business practices, and false advertising. Two federal class-action lawsuits were also filed, one alleging RICO violations.
Outcome: Trump repeatedly vowed he would never settle: "This is a case I could have settled very easily, but I don't settle cases when I'm right." He paid $25 million — 10 days before trial — shortly after winning the 2016 election. Approximately 6,000+ former students received 80–90% restitution of what they had paid.
- Operated
- 2005 – 2010 (restructured multiple times)
- Enrollment
- Approx. 6,000+ students
- Courses
- $1,495 – $35,000 per program
- Suits
- NY AG civil suit + two federal class actions (California)
- Charge
- Fraud, false representations, illegal business practices
- NY finding
- NY State Supreme Court: Trump personally liable for unlicensed school
- Settlement
- $25,000,000 — paid 10 days before trial date
- Approved
- Judge Gonzalo Curiel, S.D. Cal. — April 10, 2018
On the record
Florida AG Pam Bondi — who became Trump's Attorney General in his second term — received a $25,000 donation from the Trump Foundation four days after announcing she was considering joining the NY lawsuit against Trump University. Florida subsequently dropped its inquiry into Trump University.
Tier 1 · Court-Ordered Dissolution · 1987 – 2019
Trump Foundation — Dissolved by Court Order, $2M in Damages
People of New York v. Donald J. Trump et al. · NY Supreme Court
The Donald J. Trump Foundation was incorporated in 1987. A two-year NY AG investigation found that the charity was operated as a personal checkbook: funds were used to settle business litigation, purchase a portrait of Trump displayed at a Trump property, make an illegal political donation, and fund his 2016 presidential campaign — all uses prohibited for a 501(c)(3) charity. The AG stated: "Mr. Trump used the Trump Foundation as a personal checkbook to serve his business and political interests."
Outcome: In November 2019, a New York court entered a consent judgment ordering dissolution and requiring Trump to pay $2 million in damages. Trump, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Trump were required to complete mandatory training on the legal obligations of nonprofit boards.
How Foundation Funds Were Used
$258,000 — paid to settle legal claims against Trump's personal business entities
$10,000 — portrait of Trump purchased at charity auction, displayed at a Trump golf course
$25,000 — illegal political donation to Pam Bondi campaign committee (501(c)(3) prohibition)
Campaign use — charitable distributions directed at Trump 2016 campaign events
Why This Matters
Why This Matters
The common defense for the current legal actions against Trump is that they are politically motivated — a "witch hunt" targeting him because he ran for office. The business record documented above spans from 1973 to 2016 — decades before any political motivation could exist.
The DOJ housing discrimination lawsuit was filed in 1973 — when Trump was 27 years old.
The contractor lawsuits span the 1980s through the 2010s.
Trump University operated from 2005 to 2010.
The Trump Foundation was dissolved in 2019 for conduct spanning years prior.
The pattern is documented in court filings from state and federal courts, consent decrees enforced by federal judges, settlements negotiated with state attorneys general, and thousands of individual contractor claims. These are not allegations from political opponents. They are the documented legal record of how Trump conducted business for 40 years before entering politics.
Primary Sources
Source documents
All links go directly to official government press releases, court repositories, or the original investigative reporting.
United States v. Fred C. Trump, Donald Trump, and Trump Management, Inc. — Case Page
Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse — University of Michigan Law1:73-cv-01529 (E.D.N.Y.)·Filed October 15, 1973
"The complaint alleged that the defendants discriminated against Black persons in the rental of apartments in a number of buildings in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island."
United States v. Trump Management — Consent Decree (1975)
Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse1:73-cv-01529 (E.D.N.Y.)·June 1975
"Defendants shall not discriminate against any person in the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental of any dwelling."
AG Schneiderman Statement on Final Trump University Settlement
New York Attorney General — Eric Schneiderman·February 6, 2018
"The $25 million settlement resolves three separate fraud lawsuits. Former Trump University students will receive full restitution."
AG Schneiderman Sues Donald Trump and His Bogus University
New York Attorney General — Eric Schneiderman·August 24, 2013
"The lawsuit charges that Trump University engaged in illegal business practices and defrauded consumers."
AG James Secures Court Order Against Donald J. Trump, Trump Children, and Trump Foundation
New York Attorney General — Letitia James·November 7, 2019
"Trump must pay $2 million in damages for misusing charitable funds for personal and business purposes, and to benefit his 2016 political campaign."
AG Underwood Announces Lawsuit Against Donald J. Trump Foundation and Its Board
New York Attorney General — Barbara Underwood·June 14, 2018
"The Foundation operated as little more than a checkbook for payments to Mr. Trump or his businesses."
Hundreds Allege Donald Trump Doesn't Pay His Bills
USA Today — Investigative Report·June 9, 2016
"USA Today identified 3,500 lawsuits, liens, and judgments over the past 30 years involving dishwashers, plumbers, glass companies, drapery installers, and Trump's own lawyers."