Trump University Sued for Swindling Students

By Sarah Pierce

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Donald Trump’s online business program, “Trump University,” by a woman who claims she spent $60,000 on bogus seminars that destroyed her credit and taught her almost nothing about real estate.

According to the class action lawsuit, Trump University markets itself as a University that trains, educates and mentors entrepreneurs on achieving success in the real estate industry, but “it’s more like an infomercial” that provides “empty promises.” The lawsuit claims Trump University lures consumers with a free introductory seminar, which turns out to be nothing more than an infomercial used to up-sell a one-year apprenticeship course for $1,495. Students are guaranteed a one-year apprenticeship and a personal real estate mentor; instead they receive only a three-day seminar that offers no practical insights and mentors who recommend real estate deals that they stand to profit from before disappearing and not returning phone calls. According to the lawsuit, “the primary lesson Trump University teaches its students is how to spend more money buying more Trump seminars.”

The woman who filed the lawsuit says she lost $60,000, including $34,995 for a “Trump Gold Elite Membership.” She claims that during the three-day seminar students were encouraged to increase their credit card limits so they could enter real estate transactions, but were later told by Trump University to use their credit to purchase the Trump Gold Elite Membership. She is suing Trump University for breach of contract and fraud, among other accusations.