Donald Trump has spent his career using his last name as his brand, slapping the T word on many a luxury apartment building, hotel, and casino. But now the Donald is suing to have his famous name removed from a pair of Atlantic City properties that he would rather not be associated with.
The Trump Plaza (formerly Harrah’s at Trump Plaza) and the Trump Taj Mahal in AC are relics of Trump’s golden days of the ’80s and ’90s when the mogul was held up as a gilded and lacquered money-making icon.
The two properties are no longer owned by Trump, but by Trump Entertainment Resorts, a company that the developer/reality TV star exited in 2009 following its third go at bankruptcy.
As part of the deal, Trump allowed the company to continue using his name on the properties. But he now says that the Plaza and the Taj Mahal have fallen into such disrepair that their continued association with the Trump name is hurting his brand.
According to the suit, filed in Superior Court in Atlantic County, NJ, Trump alleges that Trump Entertainment Resorts violated the licensing by allowing “the casino properties to fall into an utter state of disrepair,” and that the company has “otherwise failed to operate and manage the casino properties in accordance with the high standards of quality and luxury required under the license agreement.”
The complaint alleges that the properties failed quality-review inspections by third party evaluators and Trump maintains that they don’t meet industry standards regarding hotel services, food and beverage operations, and overall cleanliness.
Thus, he is seeking to have his name removed from the casinos.
“I want it off both of them,” Trump told the AP about the lawsuit. “I’ve been away from Atlantic City for many years. People think we operate [the company], and we don’t. It’s not us. It’s not me.”
Trump is also ticked off that Trump Plaza management notified employees that the casino would be shuttered in September, but failed to notify the man whose name is on the building, and who still retains a 10% stake in the casino.
by Chris Morran via Consumerist
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