Trump settles alleged assault lawsuits at Trump Tower protest

Donald Trump and his namesake company have settled a lawsuit by protesters who said his security guards violently attacked them while they were demonstrating outside Trump Tower in September 2015 over his statements about immigration.

Trump, the Trump Organization, and the plaintiffs agreed to dismiss the seven-year-old lawsuit over the alleged assault in a joint filing on Wednesday with a New York state court in the Bronx. A trial had gotten underway this week.

“The parties all agree that the plaintiffs in action, and all people, have a right to engage in peaceful protest on public sidewalks,” both sides said in a joint statement.

Lawyers for the protesters did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment. “Although we were eager to proceed to trial to demonstrate the frivolousness of this case, the parties were ultimately able to come to an amicable resolution,” Trump lawyer Alina Habba said in a statement. “We are very pleased with this outcome.”

Former U.S. President Donald Trump holds a rally ahead of the midterm elections, in Mesa, Arizona, U.S., October 9, 2022. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo

The Sept. 3, 2015, incident at Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan occurred 2-1/2 months after Trump, announcing his first White House run, complained about Mexico sending immigrants to the United States.

“They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists,” Trump said. According to the complaint, Trump’s head of security struck one protester, Efrain Galicia, on the head while a security guard attempted to put Galicia in a chokehold.

The protesters of Mexican origin said they had been carrying signs satirizing Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again!” by substituting “Trump: Make America Racist Again!”

Like some other lawsuits against Trump, the protesters’ case was partly delayed because Trump was president. Trump sat in October 2021 for a video deposition, expressing concern about possibly being struck at public appearances with fruit, but denied trying to encourage supporters to be violent.

“I wanted to have people be ready because we were on alert that they were going to do fruit,” he said. “And some fruit is a lot worse than – tomatoes are bad, by the way. But it’s very dangerous.”