|
Alina Habba skyrocketed from obscurity to stardom defending Donald Trump. Just three weeks before she was added to Trump’s legal team however, Habba convinced a Bedminster waitress to accept a paltry hush-money settlement for a sexual harassment lawsuit to keep Trump’s club out of the papers despite that agreement being unenforceable under New Jersey law. In 2024, Habba was forced to settle with her former client for her conduct that was “betraying her oath as a lawyer.” In 2022, Alina Habba settled a lawsuit that alleged frequent insensitive racial remarks in the workplace. For instance, Habba was alleged to have said “I hate that black bitch” in reference to Lettia James. Habba also told a black employee to order fried chicken at a restaurant because “you people like fried chicken.” Additionally, the lawsuit alleged Habba repeatedly sang rap lyrics that included the n-word in the workplace. Habba has also faced criticism for her courtroom conduct. Habba and Trump were sanctioned over $1 million for their ultimately frivolous lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and former law enforcement officials which was based in part on unverified Russian intelligence. During the E. Jean Carroll defamation trials, Habba was repeatedly rebuked by the judge for combative and disruptive courtroom conduct. In 2024, former Trump lawyer Ty Cobb called Habba’s performance a “minor league job” after she seemingly forgot basic courtroom procedure. |
2022: Alina Habba Settled Lawsuit That Alleged Racial Insensitivity. According to Daily Beast, "Donald Trump’s go-to lawyer in New Jersey, Alina Habba, has quietly settled a lawsuit from a former employee who made her out to be a racist, insensitive boss—one who drops the n-word while blasting rap in the office and allegedly referred to New York’s attorney general as 'that Black bitch.' It’s unclear how much Habba paid to settle the matter, if anything at all. The deal is cloaked in secrecy and both sides—including, oddly, the former employee’s lawyer—are bound by a non-disparagement agreement that forbids anyone from dishing dirt on the other, according to a person familiar with the agreement. [...] On Sept. 6, attorneys for Habba and her aggrieved ex-secretary signed a document agreeing to dismiss the case 'with prejudice,' meaning that the lawsuit is gone for good. They officially filed it in Middlesex County Superior Court last week. Habba did not return calls for comment. Jacqueline L. Tillmann, the ex-secretary’s attorney in Princeton, confirmed that the case came to a close. 'We reached a resolution, but I cannot comment on the details,' Tillmann said, repeatedly stressing the word 'resolution.'" [Daily Beast, 9/19/22]
2022: Lawsuit Alleged Alina Habba Repeatedly Sang Rap Lyrics That Used The N-Word, Stated “I Hate That Black Bitch” In Reference To Lettia James, And Said That A Black Employee Should Order Fried Chicken Because “You People Like Fried Chicken.” According to Daily Beast, "Her legal secretary, Na’syia Drayton, quit in frustration on Trump’s birthday and sued a few weeks later on July 19. Given the firm’s small size, this low-level administrative employee regularly handled office paperwork—everything ranging from business records to correspondence—putting her in a uniquely damaging position. In her lawsuit, Drayton, who is Black, accused Habba of frequently playing 'inappropriate gangster rap and hip hop music in the office… repeatedly singing and using the racial slur n—-,' and at one point during a staff luncheon at a restaurant loudly suggesting that she order fried chicken because 'you people like fried chicken.' The suit also claimed Habba once got fed up with the constant legal battles against New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is Black, and shouted, 'I hate that Black bitch!'" [Daily Beast, 9/19/22]
After The Plaintiff Confronted Habba With Her Workplace Discrimination Complaints, Habba Stated That She Could Not Be Racist Because “I Am A Fucking Minority Myself.” According to Daily Beast, "The lawsuit goes on to describe how Drayton allegedly began getting panic attacks, leading her to isolate herself off from the few coworkers she had at the office—including Habba and her law firm partner, Michael Madaio. The lawsuit also claimed Habba noticed and called Drayton into her office, where the boss questioned whether the secretary was still a 'good fit' for the office—to which Drayton responded by blaming the whole thing on simply being too uncomfortably cold at the office. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that Drayton finally emailed her bosses, revealing the racial animus that had bothered her so much at the office. The day after Habba struck a deal with New York investigators about having Trump testify before the AG—with tensions already running high—the attorney suddenly got an email from her own secretary titled 'workplace environment feeling uncomfortable,' which laid out several instances where Drayton said she felt 'extremely uncomfortable.' 'I was deeply affected by these comments and feel disrespected and unwelcome at work. I feel increasingly anxious and am concerned that my health is being affected,' Drayton wrote. 'I hope that by bringing this to your attention, we can reestablish a productive work environment.' According to the lawsuit, Habba immediately phoned Drayton and a heated discussion ensued. The complaint quotes Habba denying that she’s racist and saying, 'I am a fucking minority myself… I’m not White. I used to be bullied because I am Arab… everybody listens to Kanye West—and, I’m not allowed to?'" [Daily Beast, 9/19/22]
According to Daily Beast, "At the time, Drayton’s lawyer acknowledged that she tried to quickly settle the matter quietly but that Habba’s law firm wouldn’t budge. She said Drayton was out of a job, has a family to support, and would have preferred the financial stability of a monetary settlement without having to sue. 'We tried, but we were not able to come to an agreement. I do think it's unfortunate that we couldn't arrive at something. It's my policy to try to settle things,' Drayton said in July. On Friday, Tillmann said she couldn’t even say whether Drayton felt as if she came out on top. Reached by phone, Drayton declined to comment." [Daily Beast, 9/19/22]
September 2024: Alina Habba Settled With A Former Client Who Accused Her Of “Betraying Her Oath As A Lawyer” By Forcing Her To Accept An Unenforceable Hush Money Deal Over Sexual Harassment At Trump’s Bedminster Club. According to NOTUS, “Alina Habba, the Donald Trump defense attorney who has drawn the ire of judges and even her own teammates, has settled with a former Trump National Golf Club Bedminster employee who accused her of betraying her oath as a lawyer — all to get into the former president’s inner circle. Habba signed the monetary settlement on Aug. 27, and the terms remain confidential. The deal is the latest chapter in the legal problems Habba, Trump’s favorite TV bulldog, is facing. Habba’s professional ethics were called into question last year when Alice Bianco, a former waitress at Bedminster, sued the golf club for having allegedly “defrauded” her into accepting $15,000 on the condition that she keep quiet about sexual harassment allegations. Habba brokered that deal, the lawsuit alleges. Nondisclosure agreements ‘relating to a claim of discrimination, retaliation, or harassment’ are ‘against public policy and unenforceable’ in New Jersey, per statute.In March, the club agreed to void the hush money deal in a settlement agreement, let her keep the cash and pay her lawyer, Nancy Erika Smith, $82,500 in fees. But the club cut Habba out of that settlement, leaving her wide open to getting personally sued for her role in the ordeal. Habba and Bianco attended mediation and later agreed to settle the matter out of court, Bianco and Smith told NOTUS, calling the deal a complete victory.” [NOTUS, 9/12/24]
2021: Three Weeks After Settling Bedminster Sexual Harassment Suit, Alina Habba Joined Trump’s Legal Team. According to NOTUS, “Habba had Bianco sign the nondisclosure deal on Aug. 11, 2021. Three weeks later, Habba officially joined Trump’s legal team by replacing the well-known litigator Marc E. Kasowitz on a closely watched defamation lawsuit in New York City brought on by former ‘Apprentice’ contestant Summer Zervos. ‘The timing could not be more definitive. She silenced me in order to be in Trump’s good graces,’ Bianco told NOTUS. ‘She is evil. She does the devil’s work for free. She acted as a caring guide in my life. She acted like she could help me, only to then completely ghost me and use me for her own success.’” [NOTUS, 9/12/24]
Alina Habba And Donald Trump Were Sanctioned Over $1 Million For Filing A Frivolous Lawsuit Against Hillary Clinton And Former Law Enforcement Officials. According to POLITICO, "A Florida-based federal judge has ordered nearly $1 million in sanctions against Donald Trump and his attorney Alina Habba, calling the former president a 'mastermind of strategic abuse of the judicial process.' In a blistering 46-page order, U.S. District Court Judge Donald Middlebrooks said Trump’s sprawling lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and dozens of former Justice Department and FBI officials was an almost cartoonish abuse of the legal system. 'Here, we are confronted with a lawsuit that should never have been filed, which was completely frivolous, both factually and legally, and which was brought in bad faith for an improper purpose,' Middlebrooks wrote. 'Mr. Trump is a prolific and sophisticated litigant who is repeatedly using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries. He is the mastermind of strategic abuse of the judicial process, and he cannot be seen as a litigant blindly following the advice of a lawyer.'" [POLITICO, 1/19/23]
2024: Alina Habba Was Consistently Rebuked By New York Judge During E. Jean Carroll Defamation Trial For Combative Behavior. According to New Republic, "Trump lawyer Alina Habba was reprimanded a whopping 12 times during the former president’s defamation trial on Thursday for her combative and bizarre behavior. Presiding Judge Lewis Kaplan has already ruled that Donald Trump defamed E. Jean Carroll after she revealed he sexually assaulted her in the mid-1990s. The current trial is just to determine how much Trump owes her in damages. Carroll is seeking at least $10 million. [...] Kaplan admonished Habba multiple times in a row, first for questioning the very premise of the case and then for being 'argumentative' with her questions. [...] Kaplan also admonished Habba for raising objections that were of 'dubious value,' for not listening when he sustained objections against her, and for still trying to read more tweets out loud. Habba has irritated Kaplan every day of the trial thus far. The two repeatedly butted heads on Wednesday over Habba’s disruptive behavior in the courtroom, resulting in Kaplan admonishing her 14 times. And during opening statements on Tuesday, Habba almost immediately violated the rules Kaplan had set about what Trump’s team can and cannot say." [New Republic, 1/17/24]
2024: Former Trump Lawyer Ty Cobb Called Alina Habba’s Courtroom Performance In E. Jean Carroll Defamation Trial A “Minor League Job” After Judge Admonished Habba For Lacking Basic Procedural Knowledge. According to Daily Beast, "Donald Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, did a 'minor league job' on behalf of her client Thursday in a civil defamation trial brought by writer E. Jean Carroll (whom Trump has already been found liable for sexually assaulting), former Trump lawyer Ty Cobb said Wednesday. Cobb, who worked for the then-president during Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, said on CNN’s Erin Burnett Out Front that Habba did 'some shocking things.' [...] In addition to Habba not standing up to speak at a later point, for which she was castigated, she seemed to have a hard time with other basic procedural rules. 'You should refresh your memory about how it is you get a document into evidence,' Kaplan told her. Cobb called this moment 'embarrassing.'" [Daily Beast, 1/17/24]