Written/Reviewed By:
Barry S. Kantrowitz, Esq.
Last Updated: Aug 6, 2021
Read Time: 3 mins
The Trump Organization and its Golf Clubs are no strangers to litigation. In 2018, the Organization settled a class action lawsuit by members of the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida, who sued to recover membership fee refunds that were wrongfully withheld after they resigned from the club. More recently, the Trump Organization sued New York City over the City’s cancellation of a management contract for the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx.
Gary Graifman of Kantrowitz, Goldhamer, Graifman, Perlmutter & Carballo, P.C. and attorney Robert Dowd of the Law Offices of Robert Dowd have successfully represented former golf club members who were illegally denied refunds of their initial membership deposits. We secured a $1.5 million class action settlement against Hawk Pointe Golf Club in Washington Township, NJ, and a $2 million settlement against the New Jersey National Golf Club in Basking Ridge. If you were refused a refund for your country club or golf club initiation fees in NY or NJ, contact us today to explore your options for taking legal action.
What are the details of the Trump Organization’s lawsuit against NYC?
New York City unilaterally canceled the Trump Organization’s right to manage the Bronx golf course with allegations that the company’s image had been tarnished and that, as a result, it would not be able to attract professional, tournament-quality events to the course as it was required to do per the management contract. The Organization countered with statements from publications and professional golfers who attested to the quality of the club. This lawsuit will ultimately be decided based on whether the company complied with its contractual obligations to manage the Bronx club in the professional manner described in the management agreement.
How did the former members recover a refund in the Florida lawsuit?
The Trump Organization bought and rebranded the Ritz-Carlton Golf Course in 2012. Contracts that members had signed with the club before the Organization bought it likely gave them a right to recoup a refund of their membership deposits when they resigned from the club. When the Trump Organization took over and refused to refund those deposits, several members banded together and filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the club. The combined power of that class of former members enabled them to recover an aggregate of $5.44 million.
What has been the experience of other Trump Golf Club members?
As of 2019, several former members of the Trump National Doral golf club were still waiting to recover refunds of their membership deposits following their resignations from the club. In that situation, the club and the Trump Organization appear to be relying on provisions in the membership contracts that allow the club to withhold refunds until new members join to replace the resigning members. This situation highlights the importance of understanding a golf club membership contract and the rights that it confers on current and former members.
Did Your Golf Club Refuse to Pay Back Your Membership Deposit? Fight Back With KGG Law
KGG Law and Dowd Law have successfully teamed up to help former golf club members in NJ and NY get the refunds that their former clubs contractually owe them. If your club has denied you a membership fee refund, it may be that your best chance to get the money you are owed is through a golf club membership refund lawsuit. Please reach out today for a free and confidential consultation. We will review your membership contract and advise you as to the best course of action.
