The Trump Organization has reportedly demanded that Kris Jenner, the matriarch of the Kardashian family, pay back rent on a spot in Trump Tower, the former president’s flagship property in Manhattan.
“The Trump Organization alleges the Legacy Business School, a for-profit diploma mill that was formerly proudly chaired by Kris Jenner, hasn’t paid rent since late last year,” reported A.J. McDougall. “Legacy’s lease was canceled in July, according to the Trump Organization’s complaint, though it’s unclear if the school is still in operation on the tower’s 19th floor. The suit asks the court to get a ‘sheriff or a New York City marshal’ to evict the troublesome tenant.”
Trump Tower has sought to collect rent from a number of tenants, not just Legacy. Another report from the previous year showed that Marc Fisher Footwear, the company that produced the now-defunct shoe line owned by former first daughter Ivanka Trump, was also behind on its rent.
Curbed asserts that Legacy’s business strategy was suspect from the start.
“Legacy Business School opened its doors to ostensibly teach business in Trump Tower in 2016 — its location seems to be a big selling point in press materials and social media — charging $105,000 in tuition and offering its first 100 students an “exclusive dinner” with Jenner,” reported Clio Chang. “That same year, the school’s CEO, Alessandro Nomellini, came under scrutiny after the Daily Beast reported the school was actually a rebranded affiliate of the European School of Economics, which has been sued a number of times in the United States and abroad for not paying its debts.”
“After the story came out, Jenner cut ties with the organization, telling the Daily Beast in a statement that ‘she is unable to commit the necessary time in support of the school and is no longer involved,'” the report noted.
All of this is happening at the same time that the Trump Organization is being sued by the state of New York over long-standing claims that the company maintained two sets of books, inflating asset values to obtain lower interest rates on bank loans and reducing them to avoid paying taxes.
