Donald Trump stayed true to his words and sued Spanish celebrity chef Jose Andres for $10 million after the latter backed out from a project over the businessman's comments about Mexicans.
According to a report from Daily Mail, Trump filed a lawsuit against the celebrity chef after he went back on his on a restaurant project in a hotel in Washington. The chef previously had plans to open a restaurant in 2016 inside Trump's International Hotel. After Trump made racists comments about Mexicans during his presidential bid announcement, however, Andres backed out from opening the restaurant.
In the lawsuit filed in Washington's federal court last Friday, it was stated that the Spanish chef's decision already cost Trump millions of dollars. It was said that Andres signed a lease that obligated him to rent and pay for the restaurant space for 10 years.
In another report by Politico website, Trump's organization is seeking damages caused by Andres' ThinkFoodGroup in the United States after the chef pulled the plug on the contract in early July.
"The Trump Organization filed the suit against Andrés' ThinkFoodGroup in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeking damages linked to Andrés' July 8 departure from the Trump International Hotel project, a $200 million luxury property set to open next year in the revamped Old Post Office Pavilion on Pennsylvania Avenue," the article stated.
In a statement released by Andres when he decided to back out from the project, the chef said that every human being deserves respect and that Trump's comments about immigrants made it impossible for him to move forward with the agreement.
"Donald Trump's recent statements disparaging immigrants make it impossible for my company and I to move forward with opening a successful Spanish restaurant in Trump International's upcoming hotel in Washington, DC," said Andres.
Trump's son, Donald Trump, Jr, stepped in and said that the chef had no right to terminate a signed agreement. He also made it clear that their company would take legal actions to be able to recoup the losses brought about by Andres' backing out.
"He's basically walking away from the restaurant. We have to basically go and find a replacement tenant. And he has to pay rent for the next 10 years - and we're entitled to that rent. You don't get to sign agreement that you're going to pay rent for the next 10 years and just walk away," said Alan Garten, the spokesperson of Trump Organization.
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