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Trump testifies in River North condo sale dispute 15-May-13 – Donald Trump calmly answered questions for about 50 minutes on Tuesday in a civil trial in downtown Chicago. The dispute is over the sale of two condo units at his 92-story Trump International Hotel & Tower in River North. Jacqueline Goldberg, an 87-year-old real estate investor, says she was persuaded to buy two condo units – one for $1.2 million and the other for $971,000 – by a claim from Trump’s company that her units included partial ownership of common elements that could annually generate $5 million in revenue. She says the company went back on the offer and she is suing for breach of contract. Trump was asked about his projects in New York and Chicago, particularly Trump Tower. “I’ve built some great buildings,” he said, but the one in Chicago is “the most spectacular.”
Trump’s often boastful responses frustrated Goldberg’s attorney, Shelly Kulwin, who told the judge at one point, “He’s not answering the question, he’s giving a speech.” Trump says it was the Chicago Sun-Times that approached him about building on their site along the Chicago River, a location with which Trump then “became enamored.” Kulwin tried to contradict that claim with a short video clip from an earlier deposition in which Trump said it was his idea to build on the site. After likely spending much of the day at Dirksen Courthouse, Trump was called to the witness stand at 4:04 p.m., seven hours into the trial. As the day wore on, an attorney for Trump tried to get him moved up in the schedule, saying “hundreds” of people were waiting on Trump in New York to tape a television show. Trump is executive producer of the NBC reality show The Apprentice. District Judge Amy J. St. Eve was not sympathetic, saying the trial date was set last November. Moving him ahead of another witness, she said, “really isn’t fair to Ms. Goldberg or the jury.” Most of the day was spent with testimony from Charles Reiss, a former senior vice president at Trump. Kulwin took Reiss through the basics of condo ownership, hotel operation, and the timeline of Trump projects in Chicago and New York. Reiss explained how Trump Chicago was originally going to have much more commercial space but they became increasingly concerned about being able to rent the space and get $640 million in financing for the project. The space – approximately 350,000 square feet – was changed “drastically,” said Reiss, converted to ballrooms, meeting rooms, a banquet facility, and a bigger health club. Opening statements were heard on Monday. Donald Trump will be back on the witness stand on Wednesday morning. |
