Judge to rule on class action against Donald Trump model agency

A judge will decide by the end of this month whether to proceed with a proposed class action lawsuit filed by a Jamaican fashion model against Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump’s modelling agency.

Alexia Palmer accuses Trump Model Management of lying to the federal government in its work-visa application that said she would be paid $75,000 (€68,000) a year while living in the US, according to court papers.

Instead, Palmer received a total of $3,880.75 during the three years she was under contract with the agency.

The complaint alleges “fraudulent misrepresentation” and violations of US immigration and labour laws.

It asks for $225,000 in back pay.

The suit was originally filed in October 2014.

A decision on a pending motion by Trump Model Management to dismiss is expected by the end of March, the clerk for Judge Analisa Torres, who is presiding over the case in the US District Court, Southern District, told Reuters.

If Torres rules the case can proceed, it could revive attention on Trump’s foreign labour practices at a time when the billionaire’s rise in American politics has riveted the world’s attention.

Trump’s lawyers have called the case “frivolous” and “without merit.”

In court documents, they said Palmer wasn’t an employee and was more than adequately compensated for a “very brief stint as a fashion model,” which they say amounted to less than 10 days of work over three years.

“ At the end of the day, this model just didn’t have a successful career, and we fully expect to win,” said Lawrence Rosen, lawyer for Trump Model Management.

Although Trump owns the modelling agency, the suit does not name him. Trump’s campaign spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, said Trump Model Management’s treatment of Palmer was in line with “standard practice in the modeling industry”.

Palmer’s lawyer, Naresh Gehi, says his client was cheated of earnings and seduced by a life of glamour that never materialised.

“The visa application the company filed with the government requires that people are paid the full amount,” Gehi said.

Reuters