Right now, Donald Trump is in the thick of the race to be the Republican Party’s presidential nominee, and despite all of the distractions—allegations of sexism against Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, dust-ups with other candidates, getting into a spat with Senator John McCain—he is still leading in national polls.
Long before he was on the political stage, though, Trump spent plenty of time in another contentious arena—the court room. The Donald has filed many, many lawsuits over the years, but here are five of the strangest and most mystifying.
Trump sues Trump
In the 1980s, when Trump was in the relatively early days of his professional ascent, he sued another businessman who dared to have the same last name as him. Julius and Edmond Trump were trying to buy a chain of drug stores, and their business was called "The Trump Group." When Donald Trump found out — via a letter delivered to him that was intended for the other Trumps, according to Crain's New York Business — he went on the offensive:
A day after the letter was sent, Donald Trump’s lawyer, Roy Cohn, demanded that the Trump Group change its name by the following day or they would face consequences. A little while later, Donald Trump sued Julius and Edmond Trump in New York state court, alleging they were nothing but a pair of late-arriving immigrants trying to piggyback on his good name.
“Plaintiffs have used the Trump family name for 40 to 50 years in the New York area. More recently, the Trump Organization has come to stand for respectability and success across the United States,” the complaint read.
It went on: “The defendants are South Africans whose recent entrance in the New York area utilizing the name 'the Trump Group' can only be viewed as a poorly veiled attempt at trading on the goodwill, reputation and financial credibility of the plaintiff.”
The case took half a decade to resolve. It was eventually thrown out.
Merv Griffin
In 1988, Trump sued Merv Griffin, talk show host and creator of game shows including "Jeopardy!" And "Wheel of Coins2Day." The suit stemmed from a deal over casinos in Atlantic City. Trump eventually sold his stake in the casinos to Griffin.
Trump sues Trump (Ivana this time)
Of course, some of Trump's lawsuits have been more personal. In the early '90s, he sued his ex-wife Ivana, accusing her of fraud and of breaking an agreement not to talk about their relationship, according to the Daily Beast.
Going after a Miss USA contestant
In 2012, Sheena Monnin, a contestant in the Miss USA pageant, owned by Trump, claimed that the entire contest was rigged. Trump, naturally, sued her. He called her "a beautiful young woman who had sour grapes because she wasn’t a top-15 finalist,” reports The Atlantic. This one Trump actually won. He was awarded $5 million in damages.
Trump vs. The Chicago Tribune
In the 1980s, Trump had plans to build a tower in Manhattan that would be taller than the Sears (now Willis) Tower. When a writer for the Chicago Tribune expressed doubts that would happen, Trump sued the newspaper. At the time, Trump hadn't even hired an architect yet, according to the Daily Beast.