A TRUMP helicopter sits near the site during a ribbon-cutting event for a new club at Trump Golf Links in Ferry Point, June 11, 2018 in the Bronx, New York.
Drew Angerer | Getty Images
A judge ruled Friday that the Trump Organization could continue to run a golf course in the Bronx area of New York, rejecting a lawsuit by the city government to cancel its contract with the company owned by former President Donald Trump.
The city terminated the Trump Organization’s 18-hole 18-hole Trump Ferry Point contract in February 2021, weeks after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, violating confirmation of President Joe Biden’s election victory.
At the same time, the city canceled the company’s contracts for the operation of two ice rinks and a carousel in Central Park.
The city claims in a letter to the Trump Organization, which is owned by a prominent avid golfer, that the Capitol riot has made the Trump brand “synonymous with rebellion against the federal government” and thus destroyed Ferry Point’s ability to hold a “professional tournament.” -quality events ”to the course.
The company then sued the city in June after an appeal against the decision was rejected, claiming the city had violated an agreement authorizing the Trump Organization to run the course for 20 years.
The case depends on the city’s reliance on part of the agreement, which requires the Trump Organization to maintain the course in a way that will make it capable of “attracting professional-quality events,” the ruling said Friday.
Trump’s lawyers claim that the agreement does not oblige the Trump Organization to attract or organize events with the quality of tournaments on the field.
Lawyers for the city, for their part, say the damage caused by the Trump brand riots has damaged the facility’s ability to attract professional tournaments.
In his ruling Friday, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Debra James wrote that she agreed with the Trump Organization, “that there is no ambiguity in the obligation in the agreement that the petitioner is obliged to” operate[e] a first-class tournament-quality golf course with a daily fee. “
James said that although the city said the phrases were ambiguous, “when read in the context of the agreement as a whole, it cannot be interpreted repeatedly.”
A Trump Organization spokesman said in a statement: “We would like to thank the court for its well-founded decision based on law and facts.
“As we said from the beginning, the city’s efforts to terminate our long-term license agreement to operate Trump Golf Links in Ferry Point Park were nothing more than political revenge,” the spokesman said.
“Former Mayor Bill de Blasio is using his position to arm the New York Parks and Recreation Department and the New York Legal Department, all in an effort to improve their own party agenda, win political points and intervene in free enterprise.” , the speaker said. “It’s not just a victory for The Trump Organization – it’s a victory for the people of New York City and for the hundreds of our hard-working Ferry Point employees.”
“We are excited to continue to work and manage what is widely recognized as one of the most magnificent public golf experiences anywhere in the country.”
A spokesman for the legal department said: “Everyone who owns a City concession behaves to a high standard. We are disappointed with the court’s decision and are reviewing our legal options.