There are certain things that you can say about Donald Trump – that his surname is slang for ‘fart’ or that he’s got a funny haircut – but don’t ever say that Donald Trump isn’t a billionaire. Or he’ll bloody well sue you.
Donald Trump is suing Warner Books and author Timothy O’Brien for suggesting that he might not be quite as rich as he claims. And he’s putting his money where his mouth is – Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages. $5 billion! That’s enough for a decent haircut or two, Donald.
Fans of The Apprentice might think that all Donald Trump (Books) actually
ever does is fly around in helicopters bellowing into eight cellphones at once while prodding his fingers around a lot. But there’s more to the Donald
than that. He also gets women
and makes heaps and heaps of cash. And he wants to make sure that you
all know that. He’s filed a $5 billion lawsuit against Timothy O’Brien
and Warner Books for statements made in O’Brien’s book TrumpNation: The
Art Of Being The Donald.
The book apparently claims that Donald Trump has repeatedly
exaggerated his wealth and "was not remotely close to being a
billionaire". Instead, O’Brien reportedly claims that Trump is worth
between $150 million and $250 million. Donald Trump, naturally, thinks
this is bollocks and "grossly misrepresented." In a statement, which is
fun to imagine delivered in the manner of an Apprentice-style ‘how to
smash your opponents into dust’ insert, Trump said:
"Rather than
sitting back and letting false statements be published without
challenge, I believe it is important to expose irresponsible, malicious
and false reporting … The writer and publisher of this book knew full
well that their statements were false and malicious, but in hopes of
generating book sales, they did not care. In doing so, they exposed
themselves to this lawsuit."
Donald Trump is seeking $2.5 billion in compensatory damages and $2.5 billion in punitive damages. However – if he wins – chances are he won’t donate his winnings to Great Ormond Street Hospital. Not like dear old Sir Alan Sugar probably would.
Read more:
Trump’s Billion-Dollar Defaming Claim – E! Online
[story by Stuart Heritage]