Judge OKs $25M deal in Trump University lawsuits

A federal judge has given final approval to a $25 million settlement to litigation against Trump University, a now-defunct real estate seminar program once owned by Donald Trump.

Trump had agreed not long after his election to settle two class-action suits filed by former customers of the program in California, as well as a New York state lawsuit. The suits argued that Trump University defrauded customers, some of whom paid more than $30,000 to participate in the seminars, with false advertisements promising that they would learn Trump’s personal real estate tricks and that Trump had handpicked seminar leaders. In depositions, Trump acknowledged he did not choose instructors.

The case had been used against Trump during the presidential campaign, with Democrats contending that Trump University was part of a pattern of deceptive Trump business endeavors. It also sparked one of the campaign’s most controversial moments for Trump, when he argued that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who was overseeing the matter, was biased because of his Mexican heritage.

The ruling provides finality for the Trump University matter. Trump had appeared to be working to settle civil matters before taking office, settling a number of suits that had been pending for years. The Trump University matter was settled a few weeks before a trial in one suit had been scheduled to begin. President Trump would likely have been required to testify in the case.