Trump Tower Chicago Dispute Boils Over into Federal Lawsuit

A condo board dispute at President Donald Trump’s namesake tower in Chicago escalated to a federal lawsuit and, eventually, led to an arrest in the building’s spa steam room.

The former condo board director of Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago is suing Trump Inc., the building’s management and its condo board president, alleging financial mismanagement and retaliation for raising red flags about the building’s operations, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The lawsuit from Onisim Dorneanu, a 46-year-old former owner of 16 units in the building at 401 North Wabash Avenue, accuses Trump Inc. and building executives of obscuring financial information, operating the hotel to benefit themselves at the expense of condo owners and attempting to cover up employee misconduct.

Dorneanu, who served as board director starting in March 2023, claims he was concerned over repeated financial losses and a lack of transparency around how the building’s hotel component was operated. He began buying property in the tower in 2019.

He raised his concerns to the board’s then-president — allegedly a vendor with a flooring company that does business with the building — but says they were dismissed.

The lawsuit alleges Dorneanu heard of misconduct by high-level employees from vendors and staff, and that after writing to Trump Inc. executives and other board members, a June 2024 internal investigation served more as a “cover up” than an address to his concerns.

Trump Inc. later responded to Dorneanu, stating his claims were “irrefutably not supported by facts,” the suit says.

Dorneanu resigned from the board in August and claims building management retaliated by barring him from using amenities like the spa and health club in November. In February, he was arrested for trespassing after entering the building’s spa steam room, an incident his lawsuit ties directly to his concerns.

The complaint does not list a specific dollar amount in damages, and neither Trump Inc. nor the condo board president has publicly responded.

The case adds to the list of legal disputes and financial woes that have plagued the Trump Tower since its completion in 2009. Those include a potential tax bill exceeding $100 million that the Internal Revenue Service deemed was due to questionable accounting practices related to the property, and other claims that Donald Trump made false statements regarding a loan tied to the skyscraper.

Meanwhile, a September ruling by a Cook County judge found the building’s cooling water intake system has illegally drawn in and killed thousands of fish from the Chicago River for years, deeming the building a “public nuisance.”

— Judah Duke