CHICAGO — A grandmother who took on Donald Trump in court said she "exposed him for what he is," despite a jury ruling against her.
Jurors decided Thursday that Trump did not cheat 87-year-old Jacqueline Goldberg in a deal at Chicago's Trump Tower.
Goldberg bought two $1 million condos in the mid-2000s and was promised a share in building's profits. Trump later reneged on the deal, which he claimed was within the contract.
Outside of court following the verdict, Goldberg said she knew the risks of taking on the bombastic billionaire.
"I had to try," she said in regard to $500,000 she claimed she lost to Trump.
Trump's attorney Stephen Novak said his team "surgically" cut apart Goldberg's argument in court and that the jury ignored his celebrity. The jury, he said, judged Trump's credibility fairly.
Trump took to Twitter Thursday night to celebrate his win, personally attacking Goldberg as a "so called...'lady'" and "vicious and skilled investor."
"I loved beating these two terrible human beings. I would never recommend that anyone use her lawyer, he is a total loser!" Trump tweeted from his handle @realDonaldTrump, adding that the case was "made up."
After Trump had testified last week, he told reporters that Goldberg was "trying to rip me off."
Questioning of Trump throughout the trial focused on the real estate tycoon's involvement in the decisions regarding the common areas of the 92-story Trump International Hotel & Tower at Wabash Avenue and the Chicago River.
Shelly Kulwin, attorney for Goldberg, who claimed in a lawsuit she was swindled when she bought two condos in the tower, had repeatedly grilled Trump — the star of "Celebrity Apprentice" on NBC — regarding whether he attended meetings, discussed developments or made calls regarding the sale of condominiums.
At the conclusion of the second day of deliberations Thursday, Novak said "there's no doubt justice was served."
