The Trump Organization sued New York City on Monday for cancelling a contract to run a golf course in the Bronx earlier this year, claiming the decision was politically motivated.
According to The Associated Press, the lawsuit claims that there was nothing in the contract that gave New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio the authority to terminate the contract following the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot. When de Blasio announced his decision to cancel the contract, he directly cited Trump’s “criminal action” in inciting the riot.
The Trump Organization said in a statement, “Mayor de Blasio’s actions are purely political, have no legal merit, and are yet another example of the mayor’s efforts to advance his own partisan agenda and interfere with free enterprise.”
The company is demanding that the course be allowed to continue or that it be compensated millions of dollars.
According to the Associated Press, the contract states that New York City has the right to terminate the agreement at any time but must compensate the company for money invested in building clubhouses on the course.
As part of its decision to cancel the contract, the city argued that Trump could no longer claim to attract prestigious tournaments, as the contract reportedly requires.
According to the Associated Press, the Trump Organization argued in its lawsuit that it was never required to attract tournaments and was only required to maintain a “first-class, tournament quality” golf course.
