Tilting at windmills? Court hands Trump loss in wind farm row

A judge in Scotland has denied billionaire developer Donald Trump’s claim that the government there violated his human rights when they OK’d  construction of an offshore wind farm near his Scottish golf resort.

The property developer claimed that Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first minister, had been secretly involved in the decision to place an 11-turbine windfarm near Trump’s golf complex in Aberdeen Bay.

Trump had accused the government of a “clear and illegal” bias in its decision, which would be a breach of the European convention of human rights, according to The Guardian.

Civil Court judge Lord Doherty not only dismissed Trump’s claim, but challenged and rejected a prior decision that a wind farm needs a license to be approved.

“Despite today’s decision, the EOWDC proposal has numerous economic and legal obstacles that will ultimately prevent its construction,” the Trump Organization said in a statement.

The golf course itself was recently criticized by a documentary filmmaker for its controversial construction on a “protected” site. According to the Guardian, Trump made it clear that he intends to appeal the court decision. [The Guardian] — Angela Hunt