Trump University was founded in 2004 by the Republican presumptive nominee along with associates Michael Sexton and Jonathan Spitalny. The for-profit institution is now the subject of a lawsuit in which it has been accused of defrauding students.
The trial will take place a few days after the presidential elections happen in November.
While one of the most high-profile cases involving Trump, it is far from the only one. According to new analysis conducted by USA Today, the billionaire has been involved in over 3,500 lawsuits over the past 30 years, roughly one new suit every three days.
In 1,450 of these cases, Trump or his companies were the defendant. But in most, some 1,900, the billionaire was the plaintiff, a statistic sure to reignite concerns over what a Trump presidency would encompass.
A full 70 cases have been filed since the real estate investor launched his presidential campaign.
"I think we have far less litigation of companies of our size," said Alan Garten, general counsel for the Trump Organization, according to USA Today, stating that court cases are part of the "cost of doing business."
But when comparing Trump’s litigation history with the five top real-estate executives – Edward DeBartolo, Donald Bren, Stephen Ross, Sam Zell, and Larry Silverstein – the billionaire has been involved in more legal issues than all five combined.
Court documents related to the Trump University case were released on Tuesday and provide a revealing look at many of the illegal practices described by former students.
"Is everything Donald Trump does the BEST?" a Trump University "playbook" instructed its salesman to say to prospective students, according to documents. "He wouldn’t put his name on this if it wasn’t, right?"
Despite the unflattering coverage of the institution, the billionaire has hinted that he may reopen the defunct university.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 2, 2016
There may be many more lawsuits on their way.
