Hundreds allege Donald Trump doesn’t pay his bills [View all]

[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/)