President Donald Trump defeated an antitrust lawsuit by a Washington wine bar that alleged that the opening of his Trump International Hotel in 2016 decimated its business by luring foreigners, fundraisers, and lobbyists away from the bar, reported Bloomberg.
Cork Wine Bar alleged that it lost customers because they felt compelled to drink, eat, and hold events at the president’s hotel, which is located about 1 1/2 miles away. Trump had argued that he can’t be sued while serving as president and is protected by the US Constitution from claims under the District of Columbia’s unfair-competition law.
US District Judge Richard J. Leon in Washington threw out the case on Monday, November 26, saying the bar didn’t show how Trump interfered with or hindered its business. The judge said that while Cork may claim that Trump and the hotel were trying to take advantage of competitive benefits of the president’s “heightened notoriety,” that is not “legally redressable wrong.”
