An Upper West Side condo building looking to dump the Trump name from its exterior could face the wrath of Trump International Realty’s legal arm.
Trump International attorney Alan Garten sent a letter in March to the condo board of Trump Place at 200 Riverside Boulevard, claiming that removing the name would be a “flagrant” breach of a nearly 20-year-old licensing agreement, the New York Post reported.
“We are not aware of any circumstances under which the condominium would have the right to terminate the license agreement and will defend our rights vigorously,” Garten told the newspaper.
A board subcommittee at the 48-story, 376-unit 200 Riverside, which originally licensed the Trump name in 2000, revealed the threat of legal action in Manhattan Supreme Court, where it is trying to clear up whether the board has the right to remove the name, according to the Post.
Three other buildings on Riverside Boulevard – 140, 160 and 180 – removed the president’s name last year. The former Trump Soho and a hotel in Toronto also scrubbed the name after the election.
Garten said, though, that he has heard from condo owners at 200 Riverside, “many of whom have already reached out to us to express their grave concerns” about the “substantial liability” they could face from DJT Holdings, the company listed on the licensing agreement.
The agreement gives DJT Holdings LLC the right to back out of the deal if the building enters bankruptcy, stops being a condo or becomes “destroyed.” [NYP] – Rich Bockmann