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Two D.C.-area companies are reportedly joining the raft of contractors who’ve accused President-Elect Donald Trump’s businesses of not paying them after completing work.
Joseph J. Magnolia Inc. and A&D Construction have filed liens on the Trump International Hotel in D.C., according to The Washington Post.
Magnolia completed plumbing, mechanical and HVAC work, among other services, between September 2014 and December 2016, according to the lien obtained by The Post. The company says it’s short almost $3 million. And A&D, which had its agreement with another contractor on the project, said that it’s owed $79,700 for wall base and crown molding work performed between June 24 and October 5, 2016.
In regard to the claims, a spokesperson from the Trump Organization released a statement saying: “In developments of this scale and complexity the filing of nominal liens at the conclusion of construction is not uncommon as part of the close out process. In the case of Trump International Hotel, Washington D.C., the Trump Organization has invested over $200 million dollars into the redevelopment of the historic Old Post Office and is incredibly proud of what is now considered to be one the most iconic hotels anywhere in the country.”
According to the terms of the lease with the General Services Administration, Trump is required to notify the agency within 10 days of a lien being filed and discharge it within 30 days, unless he challenges it. Meanwhile, Democrats say that, as soon as Trump takes office, he’ll be in violation of the lease, which prohibits any elected official from having any ownership stake.
People have filed at least 60 lawsuits, along with hundreds of liens, judgments, and other government filings accusing Trump and his businesses of failing to pay them for their work, according to USA Today.
Among others, Jamaican model Alexia Palmer filed a lawsuit alleging that Trump’s SoHo-based modeling agency lied in its work-visa application when it said she would be paid a $75,000-a-year salary. Instead, Palmer said the agency paid her $3,880.75 total for work on 21 projects between 2011 and 2013.
John Magnolia, president of Joseph J. Magnolia Inc., told The Post that the Trump family had paid for most of his work on the D.C. hotel and that he voted for Trump in November. “Unfortunately Mr. Trump and Ivanka and so forth, they are I guess preoccupied by other matters now. They are trying to go run the country. So we’ll just see what happens,” he continued.
Meanwhile, an attorney for A&D told The Post that the company’s owner “is a small-time operator so he does not have deep pockets.” And he’s yet to hear back on the requests for payment.
