New York Times
By John Koblin
June 30, 2015
Donald
J. Trump filed a lawsuit against Univision for $500 million on Tuesday,
following the network’s announcement last week that it would no longer
broadcast the Spanish-language
version of his “Miss USA” beauty pageant.
Univision,
the popular Spanish-language broadcaster, ended its association with
the event after Mr. Trump denounced immigrants as “rapists” and
“murderers” while announcing
two weeks ago that he would seek the Republican nomination for
president. On Monday, NBC likewise said it would no longer broadcast
“Miss USA,” which is taking place in Baton Rouge, La., on July 12.
“Nothing that I stated was different from what I have been saying for many years,” Mr. Trump said in a statement on Tuesday.
Mr.
Trump contends that Univision was in violation of its contract by
abandoning the broadcast. In the lawsuit, the Trump Organization said
that Univision signed a five-year,
$13.5 million contract this year to broadcast “Miss USA” and other Miss
Universe pageants. The lawsuit also claims that Univision was trying to
“suppress Mr. Trump’s freedom of speech.”
The lawsuit was filed in the New York Supreme Court. Mr. Trump is an owner of the Miss Universe Organization.
“We
just reviewed Mr. Trump’s complaint for the first time, and it is both
factually false and legally ridiculous,” Univision said in a statement.
“We will not only vigorously
defend the case, but will continue to fight against Mr. Trump’s ongoing
efforts to run away from the derogatory comments he made on June 16
about Mexican immigrants.”
Also
on Tuesday, both hosts for the “Miss USA” pageant, Thomas Roberts of
MSNBC and Cheryl Burke, a model and TV host, said they would no longer
participate.
“In
light of the recent statements made by Donald Trump and the subsequent
decision by NBC to cut ties with Mr. Trump, I cannot in good conscience
move forward with participating
in this year’s Miss USA Pageant as its co-host,” Ms. Burke wrote in a
Facebook post.
NBC
also said this week that Mr. Trump would not be back to host “The
Celebrity Apprentice,” though it plans to keep the show on the air with a
new host.
Mr.
Trump said in his statement that “Miss USA” would go on as scheduled.
An article in The Hollywood Reporter said the pageant would stream on
the Miss USA website.
In
a statement, the Miss Universe Organization said, “It is unfortunate
that recent events beyond our control have only served to negatively
impact the women who participate
in the pageant, our state directors, our sponsors and our fans.”
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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