There was one place Donald Trump didn’t like seeing his name – but he’s gotten over it.
Trump had sued the prestigious law firm of Morrison Cohen last year for mentioning his moniker on its website, telling The Post, “They put my name up all over their ads like I’m in love with them, and I really don’t like them.”
The $5 million suit said that by publicizing their work for “the world-renowned Donald J. Trump,” Morrison Cohen invaded his privacy and “engaged in the rank commercialization of Mr. Trump’s reputation and unyielding demand for excellence.”
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Eileen Bransten dismissed his suit in a decision made public today – but Trump said the case actually settled last week and he’s now fine with his name being mentioned on their site.
“We’re very happy with the settlement,” he said.
The firm had represented Trump Briarcliff Manor Development in an action against a contractor Trump claimed had overcharged for work it had done on the Trump National Golf Club.
The case ended with Trump collecting over $5 million.
Morrison Cohen lawyer David Scharf said that was a great result, but Trump said it wasn’t enough and felt he’d gotten overbilled.
“I have a Ph.D. in legal fees. I know when fees are fair and when they are not,” Trump told the New York Law Journal last year.
He filed suit against Morrison Cohen in Westchester over their fees, and then filed suit against them in Manhattan when he noticed their website had a link to the judge’s decision in the Briarcliff Manor case, and links to several news articles mentioning in passing that Scharf had done work for Trump.
Both actions settled last week, when, a source close to the case said, Morrison Cohen agreed to reduce the almost $700,000 it was seeking in fees to almost half that amount.
However, no one apparently told Justice Bransten, who issued a 15-page ruling dismissing Trump’s Manhattan suit. She found there was nothing wrong with linking to the various news stories mentioning Trump’s involvement with the firm, because they concerned “matters of public interest.”
The Donald said he had no hard feelings about coming out on the losing end of Bransten’s decision – likely because it was trumped by the settlement.
“She’s a wonderful judge,” he said.