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Donald Trump’s lawyer: NBC in ‘breach’ on Miss Universe contract
Fox 8 Cleveland ^ | 1:42 pm, July 6, 2015

Posted on 07/06/2015 12:00:43 PM PDT by Dave346

NEW YORK — Donald Trump “will be taking action against NBC” in an arbitration that both sides have agreed to, his top attorney says.

The attorney, Alan Garten, accused NBC of violating the terms of a contract with the Miss Universe Organization, which Trump and NBCUniversal jointly own.

NBC announced on June 29 that it would be ending its business relationships with Trump — which meant canceling the upcoming telecast of the Miss USA pageant and next year’s telecast of Miss Universe. The decision came amid an outcry over Trump’s offensive descriptions of Mexican immigrants in his presidential campaign launch speech.

Univision, the Spanish language broadcaster, also canceled the pageants. Trump filed suit against Univision on June 30, but has not filed against NBC.

The difference has to do with contractual language.

Garten said in an interview on CNN’s “Reliable Sources” that he believed NBC’s backing away from the pageants is “a clear breach of the provisions of the agreement.” But he also said the agreement to televise the pageants has “an arbitration clause.”

These kinds of clauses are increasingly common in business contracts. The clauses call for disputes between two sides to be settled privately by an arbitrator, rather than in a public hearing.

“We will obviously be following the contract” by seeking arbitration, Garten said. “I think that sort of represents the difference between how we, as an organization, act and how NBC has acted. We follow the contract; they have not.”

Garten also said, contrary to some speculation, “there is no morals clause” in the contract with either network. Such a clause can let a company get out of a contractual obligation if an individual brings embarrassment upon the company.

Garten asserted that companies get into business with Trump knowing that he “draws a lot of media attention and talks straight.”

As for another company that dropped its ties with Trump recently, Macy’s, Garten said “we’re looking at all possible avenues,” including a lawsuit, but declined to comment further.

Garten also suggested that Comcast-owned NBCUniversal may have spoken too soon when it said it was ending its relationship with Trump.

The 50/50 ownership of Miss Universe is still in place, and there’s no plan yet in place to change that.

“We don’t know if it will be broken up,” Garten said. He added, “Certainly, if it requires litigation, then there will be litigation.”

Jeffrey Toobin, CNN’s senior legal analyst, said on “Reliable Sources” that “the only thing that matters in this dispute is what the contract says between NBC and Donald Trump.” And that’s unknowable for the time being.

He called Trump’s demand for $500 million in damages in the Univision lawsuit “silly” but said the apparent lack of a morality clause “does help their case.”

He cautioned that “these sorts of lawsuits almost never go to trial” and predicted some sort of out-of-court resolution between Trump and Univision.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: trump
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1 posted on 07/06/2015 12:00:43 PM PDT by Dave346
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To: Dave346
The decision came amid an outcry over Trump’s offensive descriptions of Mexican immigrants in his presidential campaign launch speech.

Lie.

2 posted on 07/06/2015 12:02:33 PM PDT by Eddie01
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To: Dave346

This could get real good.


3 posted on 07/06/2015 12:02:56 PM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life's tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
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To: Dave346
As for another company that dropped its ties with Trump recently, Macy’s, Garten said “we’re looking at all possible avenues,” including a lawsuit, but declined to comment further.

I thought Trump claimed it was his idea to sever ties with Macy's because he felt bad about all the pressure they were under.

4 posted on 07/06/2015 12:03:38 PM PDT by bkepley
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To: Eddie01

Go get ‘em Donald.


5 posted on 07/06/2015 12:03:41 PM PDT by Fungi
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To: Eddie01
The decision came amid an outcry over Trump’s offensiveaccurate descriptions of Mexican immigrants in his presidential campaign launch speech.

Fixed.

6 posted on 07/06/2015 12:05:52 PM PDT by bolobaby
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To: Dave346

In the “Fundamentally Changed” American court system political correctness over-rules contractual obligations every time.


7 posted on 07/06/2015 12:05:57 PM PDT by fella ("As it was before Noah so shall it be again,")
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To: Dave346

Wouldn’t it be hilarious if Donald wrote a check and BOUGHT NBCObama?


8 posted on 07/06/2015 12:06:58 PM PDT by Old Sarge (Its the Sixties all over again, but with crappy music...)
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To: Dave346
Offending Mexicans is not a moral issue. Particularly when what he said was certainly defensible by simply showing hundreds of news articles from page 8-a in most major city newspapers. That is even if he had a morals clause.
9 posted on 07/06/2015 12:07:39 PM PDT by Jim from C-Town (The government is rarely benevolent, often malevolent and never benign!)
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To: Dave346
Trump’s offensive descriptions of Mexican immigrants

This is what the entire far-left media apparatus Ministry of Truth is saying: "immigrants". When you call them on it, they will say, well illegals ARE immigrants.

An analogy would be if there were an avalanche of vandalism inside Walmart stores being committed by shoppers. If Trump were to criticize those vandals, the new media would say Trump was disparaging "shoppers".

10 posted on 07/06/2015 12:08:40 PM PDT by Jeff Chandler (Couples? Same-sex COUPLES?! Don't be such a narrow-minded hate-filled clusterphobe.)
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To: Dave346

Give 'em a screwing they'll remember, Donald!!

11 posted on 07/06/2015 12:09:21 PM PDT by Navy Patriot (America, a Rule of Mob nation)
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To: Dave346
predicted some sort of out-of-court resolution between Trump and Univision

NBC and Univision will end up paying a kings ransom to settle the arbitration. Trump is in the legal/contract catbird's seat.

12 posted on 07/06/2015 12:11:10 PM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: HANG THE EXPENSE
He called Trump’s demand for $500 million in damages in the Univision lawsuit “silly” but said the apparent lack of a morality clause “does help their case.”

What's the silly part, the amount requested or his hope of winning?

13 posted on 07/06/2015 12:11:16 PM PDT by CaptainK (...please make it stop. Shake a can of pennies at it.)
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To: Dave346

NBC will go bankrupt, lay off all its employees, and shut their doors before they will DARE anger the PC god.


14 posted on 07/06/2015 12:11:46 PM PDT by envisio (I ain't here long... I'm out of napalm and .22 bullets.)
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To: Eddie01

“Trump’s offensive descriptions of Mexican immigrants in his presidential campaign launch speech.”

“Trump’s offensive descriptions of Mexican illegal aliens in his presidential campaign launch speech.

There fixed it!


15 posted on 07/06/2015 12:11:55 PM PDT by qman (The communist usurper must go!)
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To: bkepley

Hard to sort through the fog on this whole thing. The MSM is repeating lies on this so much they can’t keep their story straight. I just searched for the “The Apprentice” to get the real story on exactly what happened. Did NBC fire Trump or did he quit to concentrate on his presidential race? Both stories are on the web. Which one is correct?


16 posted on 07/06/2015 12:11:57 PM PDT by Hillarys Gate Cult (Liberals make unrealistic demands on reality and reality doesn't oblige them.)
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To: Jeff Chandler

LOL great analogy.


17 posted on 07/06/2015 12:12:19 PM PDT by CaptainK (...please make it stop. Shake a can of pennies at it.)
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To: Jim from C-Town

http://www.theremembranceproject.org

Homepage of victims of illegal immigrant crime.


18 posted on 07/06/2015 12:12:42 PM PDT by Eddie01
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To: HANG THE EXPENSE

I hope Donald sues their as&es off!

That kind of coercion has no place in US politics.... it has to end.


19 posted on 07/06/2015 12:13:10 PM PDT by SMARTY ("What is freedom? To have the will to be responsible for one's self. "M. Stirner)
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To: Dave346

Wouldn’t it be a hoot if Trump paid for his candidacy with all this PC money?


20 posted on 07/06/2015 12:13:19 PM PDT by cincinnati65
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