According to reports, the legal team for former President Donald Trump chose to reach a settlement with demonstrators who claimed they were assaulted by his security personnel outside Trump Tower seven years ago out of concern that the jury may find against him.
According to John Pagliery of The Daily Beast, Trump’s attorneys “struggled to find Bronx jurors who didn’t have strong sentiments about Trump and his eponymous company” before making a “last-minute decision” to settle.
After potential jurors were dismissed for lunch on Wednesday, the settlement was given to the plaintiffs because it appears that Trump’s attorneys decided that going to trial would be financially disastrous for the twice-impeached former president.
“Although we were eager to proceed to trial to demonstrate the frivolousness of this case, the parties were ultimately able to come to an amicable resolution,” said Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba. “We are very pleased with this outcome and are happy to finally put this matter to rest once and for all.”
The protesters’ lawyer, Benjamin Dictor, believed that the settlement represented some form of success for his clients.
“Powerful men may put their names on buildings, but the sidewalk will always belong to the people,” Dictor said in an email to the Associated Press.
Dictor added, “Defendants were staring down the barrel of a Bronx jury who were about to be presented with overwhelming evidence in support of plaintiffs’ claims. Nevertheless, plaintiffs are proud to have settled their claims and to have obtained written recognition by Donald Trump of their right to protest on the public sidewalk.”
“The Bronx — a diverse, blue-collar borough known for its no-nonsense street smarts — is famous for the way juries there often reward plaintiffs with outsized awards, especially when punishing corporations and the rich,” notes Pagliery.
The plaintiffs in the case, Efrain Galicia, Florencia Tejeda Perez, Miguel Villalobos, and Norberto Garcia, swiftly accepted the settlement offer despite the fact that the terms of the agreements are still unknown.
“The parties all agree that the plaintiffs in the action, and all people, have a right to engage in peaceful protest on public sidewalks,” the agreement also stated.
