Former President Donald Trump faces yet another legal battle this week — a civil trial in the Bronx brought by five men who say they were roughed up by Trump’s bodyguards while protesting outside his namesake tower seven years ago.
The suit brought by Efrain Galicia, Gonzalo Cruz Franco, Miguel Villalobos, Florencia Tejeda Perez and the late Norberto Garcia seeks unspecified damages for assault and battery claims in Bronx Supreme Court for their violent clash with Trump’s security on Sept. 3, 2015.
“Absent some 3 A.M. surprise, we have every expectation of proceeding with jury selection on Monday,” said the mens’ lawyer, Ben Dictor.
“It has been seven long years of litigation, but our clients will finally have an opportunity to present their case to a Bronx jury.”
The men accuse Trump’s former head of security, Keith Schiller, and several other bodyguards of assaulting them outside the Fifth Ave. skyscraper as they exercised their lawful right to protest and wrongly taking their signs. The demonstration was against then-candidate Trump’s inflammatory claims that Mexico sends “their rapists” to the U.S.
Video of the chaotic encounter shows Schiller smacking Galicia in the face after he appeared to reach for a sign with the words “Trump: Make America Racist Again.”
The suit also alleges Trump instigated the violent confrontation between his staff and the protesters.
Jurors are expected to view lengthy taped deposition testimony of the former president and his one-time fixer Michael Cohen, who claims he witnessed Trump personally order his guards to get “rid of” the protesters.
Trump defended his bodyguards’ actions when the protesters’ lawyer deposed him in April, the Daily News reported.
“I think they were troublemakers, yes I do,” Trump said. “They were very — you know, I guess you could say violent.”
Meanwhile, a Manhattan Supreme Court jury was expected to hear opening arguments early Monday in District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s criminal case against the Trump Organization and Trump Payroll Corporation. Both have pleaded not guilty to a host of criminal tax fraud charges.
A lawyer representing Trump in his Bronx case, Lawrence Rosen, did not return a call seeking comment.
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