1:04-cv-07494
RAGEPATH Overview
A wrongful termination lawsuit brought by a unionized employee of the Trump Corporation who claimed employees of Trump buildings were forced to pay kickbacks to George Gjeli, a federal convict who served as Trump Tower's building superintendent.
Case Summary
United States Southern District of New York
1:04-cv-07494
Date Filed: 9/22/2004
Date Terminated: 2/28/2008
Cause: Labor Violations
Plaintiffs:
Defendants:
Notable Details
"Paying kickbacks was also at the center of a wrongful termination lawsuit against Trump and the Local 32BJ labor union, which is associated with the Service Employees International Union, filed in 2004 by a fired elevator operator named Ioan Ghilduta. He alleged Gjieli had forced workers to pay for their positions. “Sure, all the guys pay the money,” Ghilduta said in a 2005 deposition , according to court documents obtained by AP, describing the $1,000 in cash and a gold crucifix he said he was made to give to his boss in 1994. “It was a common practice when you get the job.” [...] The lawsuit was settled shortly after a judge ruled there were issues of fact a jury should hear. Ghilduta walked away with $7,500 apiece from Trump and the union, neither of which admitted wrongdoing." (Associated Press, October 5, 2016
