A lawsuit filed last week by a Maryland-based electrical contractor claims the company worked "nonstop" in order to get the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., ready for a campaign event in September, but hasn't received a dime of the $2,075,731.61 it is owed for the extra work.
AES Electrical, also known as Freestate Electrical, said in court papers it was ordered to "accelerate work" on the project last fall, and employees worked "seven days per week, 10 to 14 hours per day, for nearly 50 consecutive days" to get the hotel ready for a campaign stop by now-President Trump, as well as its "soft opening." The company says it worked at that same fast pace to get the hotel prepared for its official grand opening on Oct. 26, at "significant additional cost and expense for which Freestate expected payment." The company, which says it has so far been paid $15,130,267.39, alleges that when it sent in the additional bill, the Trump Organization said it would only pay a third of it.
The suit names the Trump Organization and its contractor, Lend Lease of New York. In a statement to NBC News, a Trump Organization spokesperson said, "In developments of this scale and complexity the filing of nominal liens at the conclusion of construction is not uncommon as part of the close out process." Over the last 30 years, more than 3,500 lawsuits for non-payment of bills and wages have been filed against Trump and his companies, USA Today reports, and since 2005, his companies have been cited for 24 violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
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