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Trump University Settlement Is Finally Approved


— April 2, 2017

After lengthy litigation, the dispute surrounding Trump University is finally over. On Friday, a federal judge finally approved a “$25 million settlement deal between President Trump and students” who paid for and attended real estate seminars at Trump University. Though the deal was originally agreed upon back in November, it had to undergo approval by U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel. Fortunately for former students, the settlement calls for President Trump to “reimburse the students who say they were defrauded.”


After lengthy litigation, the dispute surrounding Trump University is finally over. On Friday, a federal judge approved a “$25 million settlement deal between President Trump and students” who paid for and attended real estate seminars at Trump University. Though the deal was originally agreed upon back in November, it had to undergo approval by U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel. Fortunately for former students, the settlement calls for President Trump to “reimburse the students who say they were defrauded.”

However, the settlement doesn’t just apply to one lawsuit. In fact, it applies to “three separate lawsuits,” including “two class-actions and a fraud case.” As of right now, the settlement will include “payouts to more than 6,000 Trump U students who paid thousands of dollars for courses they describe as worthless.”

But what were some of the allegations against Trump University that lead to the lawsuits in the first place? For starters, Ina Jaffe of NPR reported just last year that students claimed the “promised Donald Trump investment techniques were mostly stuff that you could find on the Internet, some of which was illegal in some of the states where the seminars took place.” She added, “They say that the promised mentoring was worthless or nonexistent, that the instructors were unqualified and that they were definitely not handpicked by Donald Trump, as he claimed.”

Picture of Donald Trump Promoting Trump University in 2005
Donald Trump Promoting Trump University; Image by Dan Herrick, http://www.msnbc.com/

Some of the lawsuits claimed that “Trump University gave nationwide seminars that were like infomercials, constantly pressuring people to spend more and, in the end, failing to deliver on its promises.” Some of the lawsuits also “accused Trump U. of deceiving students by falsely claiming that Trump knew the instructors and that the school was an accredited university.” Instead of being an accredited university, Trump University was a for-profit training program for those interested in learning all of Trump’s “secrets to creating a real estate empire” while charging students up to $35,000 to attend.

In light of the allegations, President Trump never admitted to any wrongdoing, and his lawyers continue to say that all allegations are false.

Sources:

Judge Approves $25 Million Settlement Of Trump University Lawsuit

As Trump Is Sworn In, He Also Settles Trump University Litigation

Judge Appears Close to Approving Trump University Deal

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