Judge scolds trump, CHICAGO - A scowling Donald Trump raised his voiced on the witness
stand Wednesday while an attorney grilled him and then rolled his eyes
at the "Apprentice" star's answers, leading a federal judge to scold
both men in open court and order them to behave.
The admonition
came during Trump's second day on the stand at a civil trial where he is
accused of making false promises to an 87-year-old investor to get her
to purchase condos at his glitzy Trump International Hotel & Tower
in Chicago.
"You have been dancing around and boxing each other,"
U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve said, scolding Trump and plaintiff's
attorney Shelly Kulwin. "This is not a boxing match.
"Let's get control of ourselves," the judge added before a brief recess.
Aggressive
questioning on Wednesday focused on what Trump knew and when regarding
the alleged bait-and-switch in which a profit-sharing plan was promised
to Jacqueline Goldberg but withdrawn after she agreed to buy two condos.
The
testimony offered a rare inside look at the management style of the
66-year-old Trump, known for scrutinizing the competence of contestants
on his "Apprentice" TV show and then firing them.
Pressed over and
over, the real estate magnate insisted he couldn't remember just when
key business decisions were made or by whom, or even if he was present —
telling jurors neither he nor his top executives made a habit of taking
notes.
"We get things done. We don't write about it," he said.
A
central issue at the trial is whether Trump himself plotted from the
start of the tower's development in the early 2000s to entice investors
with a profit-sharing plan — fully intending to cancel the offer after
they put their money down.
On the stand, Trump portrayed himself as a big-picture guy who delegated others.
"I don't run hotels — I build them," he said.
The
trial stems from a lawsuit filed by Goldberg, who agreed in 2006 to buy
two condos for around $1 million apiece at the 92-story luxury
building; it opened in 2009. She seeks the return of a $500,000 deposit
and other unspecified damages.
With Goldberg sitting nearby, Trump
accused her of agreeing to a buyers' contract that gave Trump rights to
cancel the profit-sharing offer as he saw fit. Even though she knew
that clause was there, he said, she went ahead and bought the condos
anyway.
"And then she sued me," he boomed, raising his arms. "It's unbelievable!" The judge told jurors to disregard Trump's statement.
It
took Trump and the plaintiff's attorney just minutes to clash as
testimony started Wednesday morning. Kulwin complained that Trump, a New
Yorker, kept rushing to answer questions before he had completed them.
"We're in Chicago," the attorney snapped at Trump. "We go a little slower here."