Outside the grading scale: Pre-Office Conduct
Decades of Stiffing Contractors: Trump's Documented Pattern of Refusing to Pay
USA Today's 2016 investigation found that Trump and his companies had been involved in more than 3,500 lawsuits in U.S. federal and state courts over the previous three decades; separately, hundreds of contractors, vendors and employees had filed lawsuits or liens saying they were not paid. Among those who reported not being paid: drapery installers, piano players, porters, waiters, dishwashers, real estate brokers, plumbers, and hundreds of hourly workers. Trump's standard response was to challenge the quality of work — often leaving small contractors to choose between expensive litigation or accepting partial payment.