NEW YORK--A judge will decide by the end of this month whether to proceed with a proposed class action lawsuit filed by a Jamaican fashion model against Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump's modeling agency, the judge's office said.
Alexia Palmer accuses Trump Model Management LLC of lying to the federal government in its work-visa application that said she would be paid a $75,000-a-year salary while living in the United States, according to court documents.
Instead, according to court papers, Palmer received a total of $3,880.75 during the three years she was under contract with the agency. The complaint alleges "fraudulent misrepresentation" and violations of U.S. immigration and labour laws. It asks for $225,000 in back pay.
The suit was originally filed in October 2014. A decision on a pending motion by Trump Model Management to dismiss is expected by the end of March, the clerk for Judge Analisa Torres, who is presiding over the case in the U.S District Court, Southern District, told Reuters.
If Torres rules the case can proceed, it could revive attention on Trump's foreign labour practices at a time when the celebrity billionaire's rise in American politics has riveted the world's attention. Trump's lawyers have called the case "frivolous" and "without merit." In court documents, they said Palmer wasn't an employee and was more than adequately compensated for a "very brief stint as a fashion model," which they say amounted to less than 10 days of work over three years. Reuters could not independently confirm that assertion.
