A New Jersey judge orders Atlantic City’s Sands Casino to pay $8 million to Donald Trump and Bob Guccione, ending a 10-month trial over a property dispute.
In the 1980s, Trump blocked Guccione from selling his Atlantic City property and creating an opportunity for a new investor to compete with Trump’s casino business. But in March of 1989, Trump bought the property from Guccione after the Penthouse owner threatened to expose his affair with Marla Maples.
Sands Casino’s parent company sued both men, alleging that they conspired to “lock” other investors out of the area so Trump could pursue a monopoly on Atlantic City gambling.
Speaking to the press, attorney John Barry, Trump’s brother-in-law, calls the property dispute “the longest and costliest trial in the history of Atlantic County, if not the whole state.”
“This was the longest and costliest trial in the history of Atlantic County, if not the whole state,” said John Barry, Trump’s principal attorney in the 4-year-old case.
But Barry described the result as “a total victory” for Trump.
UPI
Some have alleged that the comment was actually made by Trump using his brother-in-law’s name as a pseudonym, but the comment may have been made by Barry in person. The assumption is understandable, though. Trump often gives reporters quotes about himself using the name John Barron or, occasionally, John Miller. The real John Barron is the author of a best-selling 1974 book about Trump’s pals at the KGB.
After the court battle, Trump begins construction and renovation on the property. The end result is Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino – East Tower.
External Sources
Philadelphia Inquirer (Archived)
The Washington Post – John Barron (Archived)
Sarah Kendzior, Hiding In Plain Sight
Photo, Left: Kathy Willens—AP
Photo, Right: Montgomery/Getty
