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Date: 07-26-2024
Case Style:
Sonny Low v. Trump University, LLC, et al.
Case Number: 3:10-cv-00940
Judge: Gonzalo P. Curiel
Court: United States District Court for the Southern District of California (San Diego County)
Plaintiff's Attorney:
Defendant's Attorney: Benjamin James Morris, Daniel M. Petrocelli, David Lee Kirman, David Marroso, Jeffrey L. Goldman, Jill Ann Martin, Nancy L. Stagg, Wallace Moore Allan, Stephen F. Yunker, Stephen F. Yunker, David Keith Schneider
Description:
San Diego, California personal injury lawyers represented the Plaintiffs who sued the Defendants on fraud theories.
Trump University, now defunct, was a for-profit entity that purported to teach Donald J. Trump's "secrets of success" in the real estate industry. During the 2016 presidential election, Trump University and Trump were defendants in three lawsuits alleging fraud and violations of various state and federal laws: two class actions in the Southern District of California, and a suit by the New York Attorney General in state court. Each suit alleged that Trump University used false advertising to lure prospective students to free investor workshops at which they were sold expensive three-day educational seminars. At these seminars, instead of receiving the promised training, attendees were aggressively encouraged to invest tens of thousands of dollars more in a so-called mentorship program that included resources, real estate guidance, and a host of other benefits, none of which ever materialized.
In the California cases, the district court certified two classes of over eight thousand disappointed "students," and scheduled the cases for trial in late November 2016. On November 8, 2016, Trump was elected President of the United States. Within weeks, the parties reached a global settlement on terms highly favorable to class members. Plaintiffs would receive between 80 to 90 percent of what they paid for Trump University programs, totaling $21 million. The defendants agreed to pay an additional $4 million in the case brought by the Attorney General of New York.
Outcome: Settled for $25 million.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: