'Series of setbacks' Trump sued for 'apartment rent fraud' this time

Trump speaking about the presidential election at the 'Medal of Freedom' award ceremony
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] It is expected that U.S. President Donald Trump will face various civil and criminal lawsuits after his departure from office in January. This time, a lawsuit has been filed alleging that he illegally raised apartment rents.

According to The New York Times on the 3rd (local time), a lawsuit was filed claiming that the Trump family fraudulently inflated rents in an apartment they owned in Brooklyn, New York.

Tenants of the Westminster Apartments in Brooklyn, New York, claimed that during the more than 10 years the Trump family owned the apartments, they unjustly raised rents, causing financial damage. They allegedly abused New York State housing regulations that allow landlords to raise rents based on facility improvements by falsifying documents to show that they bore part of the improvement costs, thereby increasing rents by at least 20%.

They argued that this kind of illegal rent increase continued from 1992 until the Trump family sold the apartments in 2004 and still persists today. About 30 current or former residents of approximately 30 apartments are participating as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, demanding compensation for the illegal rent increases and related interest.

The Trump administration called the tenants' lawsuit "absurd." A spokesperson for the Trump family immediately denied the allegations, stating, "There is no evidence for the charges."

The New York Times reported that if the plaintiffs' legal team is granted class-action status, all tenants who have paid rent since 1992 could potentially be subject to the ruling, posing a significant financial threat to the Trump family.

Meanwhile, President Trump has been plagued by various civil and criminal lawsuits following his failed re-election bid.

The Trump Organization, the president's family business, is under investigation by New York prosecutors for charges including insurance and financial fraud and tax evasion. Prosecutors are also investigating whether President Trump engaged in extramarital affairs with pornographic actresses and paid "hush money," as well as whether he falsified financial records related to these scandals.

In addition, he is embroiled in lawsuits concerning family inheritance disputes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.