(Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

Pledging amity after a bitter legal saga, Chef José Andrés and the Trump Organization announced a settlement today in the lawsuits surrounding a broken restaurant deal at Trump’s hotel at the Old Post Office Pavilion.

“I am pleased that we were able to resolve our differences and move forward cooperatively, as friends. I have great respect for the Trump Organization’s commitment to excellence in redeveloping the Old Post Office,” Andrés said in a joint statement, a far cry from both sets of remarks that kicked off the dispute.

If you’ll recall: Donald Trump launched his ultimately successful campaign in June of 2015 by calling Mexican immigrants to the U.S. rapists and criminals. After a coordinated campaign from activists, Andrés pulled the plug on a planned Spanish restaurant at the yet-to-open hotel, calling it “impossible” to be affiliated with Trump.

“Donald Trump’s recent statements disparaging immigrants make it impossible for my company and I to move forward,” he said at the time. “More than half of my team is Hispanic, as are many of our guests. And, as a proud Spanish immigrant and recently naturalized American citizen myself, I believe that every human being deserves respect, regardless of immigration status.”

Trump then sued Andrés’ ThinkFoodGroup, seeking $10 million in lost rent. Andrés counter sued, arguing that it was Trump’s comments that constituted the first breach of contract.

The terms of the settlement are undisclosed, but whatever they are, they’ve apparently left both sides feeling (or contractually mandated to feel) very friendly.

“I am glad that we are able to put this matter behind us and move forward as friends … Without question, this is a ‘win-win’ for both of our companies” said Donald Trump, Jr. in the statement.

Trump’s eldest child took over the day-to-day management of the LLC behind the Trump International Hotel in February. Still, the president retains an ownership stake and continues to be enriched by the hotel even as his son manages it (the General Service Administration recently said that this puts the president in the clear with the terms of the lease).

Chef Geoffrey Zakarian also pulled out of a planned restaurant, and the Trump Organization struggled mightily to replace them. The hotel opened with just one, BLT Prime, and a second, a famed sushi restaurant, is finally in the works.

While the Trump organization is now reportedly considering opening a second D.C. hotel, local restaurateurs are also suing, alleging unfair competition (they successfully served the president at the end of March).

The Washington Post first reported on the settlement with ThinkFoodGroup; the status of the Zakarian suit is unclear.

It was one of several pending lawsuits that Trump has moved to dispatch since winning the election, though he’s repeatedly vowed never to settle. Most recently, a judge approved a $25 million class action lawsuit alleging fraud at his for-profit Trump University.

Trump + Andres Press Statement by RachelSadon on Scribd