Trump & Sons Eric & Don Jr. Agree To Sit For Depositions In Fraud Case By Investors

Former President Donald Trump and his two adult sons have agreed to sit for depositions in May and June as part of a class-action lawsuit alleging they collaborated with a fraudulent marketing company.

The former President agreed to be deposed on June 16 while Eric Trump will sit for questioning on May 12, and Donald Trump Jr. on May 10, according to the letter filed with the court. The letter had not proposed a date for Ivanka Trump’s deposition.

The lawsuit, which was filed in 2018, alleges that in exchange for “secret” payments, Trump and three of his adult children used his reality TV show The Celebrity Apprentice and other promotional events as vehicles to boost ACN Opportunity, a telecommunications marketing company. The suit alleges that ACN used Trump’s brand to appeal to teens.

“In return, Donald J. Trump told prospective investors that ‘[y]ou have a great opportunity before you at ACN without any of the risks most entrepreneurs have to take,’ and that ACN’s flagship videophone was doing ‘half-a-billion dollars’ worth of sales a year.’ Trump also told investors that he had ‘experienced the opportunity’ and ‘done a lot of research,’ and that his endorsement was ‘not for any money.’ Not a word of this was true,” the suit alleged.

Trump’s attorneys have argued that the investors didn’t have a case because none paid the Trumps directly, and they contend the family isn’t responsible for any of their losses. They also argued that Trump’s statements were opinion and included “puffery” that no “reasonable investor” would have relied upon.

The lawsuit was brought on by plaintiffs who invested in the company. 

The lawyers for the plaintiffs said they found more evidence for their case after watching unaired footage of The Celebrity Apprentice.