A lawsuit against Donald Trump for assault and battery suffered in front of Trump Tower in NY during a protest in 2015 was finally resolved by agreement
Former President Donald Trump has reached a settlement with five Mexican protesters who said his security detail assaulted them during a 2015 demonstration outside Trump Tower in New York, according to lawyers for both parties.
The suit, brought by Efraín Galicia, Florencia Tejeda Pérez, Gonzalo Cruz Franco, Johnny García and Miguel Villalabos, accused Trump and his security team of assault and battery, while seeking unspecified monetary damages.
The settlement was announced Wednesday, the third day of jury selection for the trial. Lawyers did not disclose any details about the settlement.
The lawsuit stems from an incident during a protest outside Trump Tower in Manhattan following comments made by Donald Trump shortly after he announced his candidacy for president in the 2016 election.
During the speech that gave rise to the protest, Trump claimed that Mexico had been sending people to the United States who “bring drugs. They bring crime. They are rapists.”
The case had reached the Bronx Supreme Court after seven years, where the jury selection process began on Monday, but both parties decided to resolve the matter before entering the trial, according to local media.
“The parties agree that the complainants in this action, and all persons, have the right to peacefully protest on public sidewalks,” reads a brief statement, indicating that they have “settled” the matter and the lawsuit is dismissed.
The protesters, immigrant activists, claimed to have suffered an assault and injury at the hands of three guards after Trump ordered them to crack down on them to prevent them from protesting with signs in front of his building.
In the civil case, in addition to Donald Trump, the Trump Organization and the former president’s electoral campaign were accused, and the complainants were seeking compensation.
The judicial problems are not yet over for the former president, who has two other open fronts around his company’s accounts: a lawsuit for tax fraud with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and another for exaggerating assets, opened by the New York District Attorney’s Office.