DC appellate court dismisses unfair competition claim against Trump Hotel News
© WikiMedia (Wyn Van Devanter)
DC appellate court dismisses unfair competition claim against Trump Hotel

The DC Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed on Friday the dismissal of a lawsuit against the Trump Hotel.

In 2017, a DC wine bar, K&D LLC (“Cork”), filed an unfair competition suit claiming that President Donald Trump’s luxury hotel in Washington, DC unfairly impedes on the business of other city venues.

Cork’s complaint alleges that the bar is losing business to the Trump Hotel because customers are frequenting the hotel to gain “advantage in their dealings” with Trump and that this patronage is encouraged by Trump and his associates.

This case mirrors other cases that have claimed that Trump is violating the Constitution’s emoluments clause by refusing to divest himself of his business interests in various hotels and other businesses while serving as president. This case, though, was specifically brought under claims of unfair competition.

Ultimately the court rejected the legal argument, unanimously holding that the lower court was correct to dismiss the case.  The court felt that there was no merit to the claim that “businesses with famous proprietors cannot compete fairly” with businesses owned by non-famous individuals.

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