Apparently, the days of former President Donald Trump wielding nondisclosure agreements like gags on “Handmaids” are over. Not that we’ll soon forget the unholy allegiance between Omarosa Manigault Newman and the president, but the former White House aide and Apprentice contestant, who wrote a scathing tell-all book about her time serving in his administration, has won the 2018 case Trump’s campaign filed against her, according to The New York Times.
Trump is well-known for using nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) to scare employees, to intimidate and control people. This time, he messed with the wrong Black woman. He may have also set precedent for a loss on future lawsuits. He’s frankly become artful at losing.
In the case of a former campaign worker, Jessica Denson, the campaign sought a $1.5 million claim against her for violating an NDA. She told The Washington Post the suit was filed after she filed a suit alleging sex discrimination by campaign officials. (That separate case is ongoing.)
“So finally someone has beat him at his own game and in his own forum,” John Phillips, Manigault Newman’s attorney, said of Trump in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday. “I think that does it for all of them,” Phillips said. “I hope people who have these NDAs ... read these opinions and realize they shouldn’t be so worried.”
The decision was handed down Monday by the American Arbitration Association in New York, stating that the NDA was unenforceable under New York state law and that Manigault Newman was to be reimbursed for her legal fees.
“Donald has used this type of vexatious litigation to intimidate, harass and bully for years,” Manigault Newman said in a statement. “Finally the bully has met his match!”
YouTube Video
Now, although we’re happy for Manigault Newman’s win against Trump, any win against Trump is a win worth applauding. But we must not forget that despite her book alleging the president was an out-of-control racist and misogynist, in 2017, she sang a very different tune. She defended him in the months following the infamous and deadly “Unite the Right” protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, telling ABC News: “Yes, I will acknowledge many of the exchanges, particularly in the last six months, have been racially charged,” she said. “Do we then just stop and label him as a racist? No.”
When it comes to Trump’s NDAs, he doesn’t seem to understand they can’t be weaponized to keep people from having an unfavorable opinion about him.
As Denson’s attorney, David Bowles, says: “You can’t stop people from criticizing political candidates. It is the heart of the Constitution and free speech.”
Trump is well-known for using nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) to scare employees, to intimidate and control people. This time, he messed with the wrong Black woman. He may have also set precedent for a loss on future lawsuits. He’s frankly become artful at losing.
In the case of a former campaign worker, Jessica Denson, the campaign sought a $1.5 million claim against her for violating an NDA. She told The Washington Post the suit was filed after she filed a suit alleging sex discrimination by campaign officials. (That separate case is ongoing.)
“So finally someone has beat him at his own game and in his own forum,” John Phillips, Manigault Newman’s attorney, said of Trump in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday. “I think that does it for all of them,” Phillips said. “I hope people who have these NDAs ... read these opinions and realize they shouldn’t be so worried.”
The decision was handed down Monday by the American Arbitration Association in New York, stating that the NDA was unenforceable under New York state law and that Manigault Newman was to be reimbursed for her legal fees.
“Donald has used this type of vexatious litigation to intimidate, harass and bully for years,” Manigault Newman said in a statement. “Finally the bully has met his match!”
YouTube Video
Now, although we’re happy for Manigault Newman’s win against Trump, any win against Trump is a win worth applauding. But we must not forget that despite her book alleging the president was an out-of-control racist and misogynist, in 2017, she sang a very different tune. She defended him in the months following the infamous and deadly “Unite the Right” protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, telling ABC News: “Yes, I will acknowledge many of the exchanges, particularly in the last six months, have been racially charged,” she said. “Do we then just stop and label him as a racist? No.”
When it comes to Trump’s NDAs, he doesn’t seem to understand they can’t be weaponized to keep people from having an unfavorable opinion about him.
As Denson’s attorney, David Bowles, says: “You can’t stop people from criticizing political candidates. It is the heart of the Constitution and free speech.”