SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A federal judge has finalized the $25 million settlement made by President Donald Trump to end the Trump University lawsuits in San Diego. The judge rejected the plea of one plaintiff who wanted to sue Trump on her own and to try and get an apology.
U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel released a 31-page settlement approval March 31 that appears to pay most students back at about 90 percent of what they paid for the unaccredited courses at Trump University which went out of business in 2010.
Donald Trump agreed to settle the lawsuit Nov. 18, 2016, about 10 days before a four week jury trial would have begun in federal court in San Diego. He was elected president Nov. 8 and he paid the $25 million in December, but the lawsuit had to be finalized.
“We’re not taking a dime,” said plaintiff attorney Patrick Coughlin after the March 30 hearing as he explained the lawyers for the former students were working “pro bono” without a fee.
Since Trump didn’t have to pay attorneys’ fees, Trump considered the settlement “a really good deal,” said Coughlin.
Sonny Low, Art Cohen, John Brown, and J.R. Everett were each awarded $15,000 because their names were listed as key plaintiffs on the case. They participated in depositions, turned over documents and met with attorneys frequently. They will also be receiving more money as part of the settlement.
Low, now 75 and from Chula Vista, charged $27,500 on his credit cards in 2009 to take Trump University courses. He is still paying that amount off, and filed the original suit in 2010.
Curiel wrote that 8,253 claim forms were sent to all potential class members, and the settlement administrator received 4,090 claim forms filled out by the March 6 deadline.
One former student, Sherrie B. Simpson, who is now an attorney herself and lives in Florida, disagreed with the settlement and her attorneys asked Curiel not to approve it. Simpson wanted the opportunity to sue Trump by herself.
One plaintiff attorney told the judge Simpson was “looking for an apology (from Trump) and you can’t get this from litigation.” Simpson objected to the settlement terms, but her objections were overruled and she will be paid back a portion of what she paid for the classes.
Former students said Trump University employees pressured them to max out their credit cards. Low said he was told Trump would be sharing his real estate secrets.
Although Trump University claimed that Trump “hand-picked” all of the instructors, depositions of Trump show he did not know or remember anyone who worked at Trump University. Trump said in depositions he hired someone he had not met to hire the instructors, but he could not recall whom he had hired.
Curiel is the same judge whose Mexican heritage was cited by Trump as being prejudicial to him in his rulings. Curiel was born in Indiana, but his parents were from Mexico. Curiel did not mention anything about that in court.
