Hundreds allege Donald Trump doesn’t pay his bills

[csziggy]

Steve Reilly, USA TODAY 8:01 p.m. EDT June 9, 2016

Donald Trump casts himself as a protector of workers and jobs, but a USA TODAY NETWORK investigation found hundreds of people – carpenters, dishwashers, painters, even his own lawyers – who say he didn’t pay them for their work.

<SNIP>

Donald Trump often portrays himself as a savior of the working class who will "protect your job." But a USA TODAY NETWORK analysis found he has been involved in more than 3,500 lawsuits over the past three decades — and a large number of those involve ordinary Americans, like the Friels, who say Trump or his companies have refused to pay them.

At least 60 lawsuits, along with hundreds of liens, judgments, and other government filings reviewed by the USA TODAY NETWORK, document people who have accused Trump and his businesses of failing to pay them for their work. Among them: a dishwasher in Florida. A glass company in New Jersey. A carpet company. A plumber. Painters. Forty-eight waiters. Dozens of bartenders and other hourly workers at his resorts and clubs, coast to coast. Real estate brokers who sold his properties. And, ironically, several law firms that once represented him in these suits and others.

Trump’s companies have also been cited for 24 violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act since 2005 for failing to pay overtime or minimum wage, according to U.S. Department of Labor data. That includes 21 citations against the defunct Trump Plaza in Atlantic City and three against the also out-of-business Trump Mortgage LLC in New York. Both cases were resolved by the companies agreeing to pay back wages.

More: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/06/09/donald-trump-unpaid-bills-republican-president-laswuits/85297274/

He's also had "more than 200 mechanic’s liens" filed against his properties and businesses. His companies have a pattern of underpaying employees - a dishwasher at his Mar-a-Lago property sued over unpaid overtime - not paying subcontractors and professionals - some real estate brokers had to sue to get six figure settlements and even one firm of lawyers ended up in court with claims of unpaid bills.

“Real estate is a tough and aggressive business, but most business people don’t set out to make their money by breaking the companies that they do business with,” said Colette Nelson of the American Subcontractors Association.

Hillary Clinton is right, Donald Trump is "temperamentally unfit to hold an office that requires knowledge, stability and immense responsibility." (http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/02/politics/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-foreign-policy-speech/)

[PJMcK]

1. Of course he doesn't

Only the little people pay their bills and their taxes.

[csziggy]

3. Yeah, I've known other wealthy people who never paid their bills on time

Or in full if they could get away with it. But if their companies were not paid immediately, they'd sue right away and never settle for a portion of what was owed.

The mindset that allows screwing even the lowliest worker out of every penny is bizarre to me. If you don't want to pay for work done, then do the work yourself - that is how I was raised and how I ran my business.

[PJMcK]

4. You have ethics, csziggy

You were probably raised by a family that had empathy among their ethos. What is it that happens to some people who become dominated by greed? It's baffling to me, too.

[csziggy]

5. I was raised by parents who lived too close to the edge

In fact my Dad on occasion did have to wait on payments from large corporations or take payment in other forms than money. We had years when Mom had to plan months ahead to buy shoes for my sisters to wear to school.

I just don't get wanting more and more and more when it comes at the expense of other people. I think greed is a sickness, not a sin, kind of like a form of OCD.

[PJMcK]

7. I'm with you

And I like your sig line! I hadn't heard that Rogers quote before.

[virtualobserver]

2. That is his business model....he will eliminate the national debt by defaulting on our obligations

[csziggy]

6. Yeah, and he'd take this country into defaulting on our obligations

So long as it wouldn't affect HIS bottom line.

That - among other things - is why he can never be president.

[smirkymonkey]

8. What a pathological jerk!

The man is complete slime!

[csziggy]

9. Yeah - to screw a dishwasher out of a few thousand?

That is mentally deranged.

The article doesn't say what the response was from the subcontractors who he paid less than the total owed (he offered 30% and they negotiated it to 70%) and then told them they could apply for future contracts on his projects.

I would have told him - I might be poor but YOU are insane. No way I would ever have considered working on anything associated with Trump or his businesses!

[smirkymonkey]

10. I'm amazed that anyone will do business with him at all,

knowing his reputation.

[csziggy]

11. Well, there was one woman here that had a fancy horse farm

And was married to one of the very wealthy sons of a very very wealthy family - they owned the first TV station in town and a huge plantation.

The woman was known for not paying her bills - the feed stores and the hay suppliers would not unload their deliveries until they had a check in hand. Same for the farriers and the veterinarians - if they showed up and there was not a check already waiting for them, they would turn around and leave.

She kept a look out for new professionals - a new farrier moved to town, she'd call and use him until he either built up a backlog of bills - or heard her reputation - and insisted on immediate payment. Then she'd foist him off for as little as possible and find another new sucker. It got so the farriers put out the news with all the professional organizations ans scoured ads for new farriers so they could warn them.

Trump probably does the same - uses new contractors starting out. Or since he does projects all over the world he takes advantage of the contractors in new areas.