Donald Trump's Former Driver Slaps $350,000 Suit on His Company For Not Paying 'Overtime Wages'
The petitioner was serving as the personal driver of Trump till mid-2016, when he was announced as Republican nominee in the presidential polls.
Washington, July 10: A former driver of US President Donald Trump, who had served him for nearly 20 years, has slapped a $350,000 defamation suit against his premier company - the Trump Organisation - for not paying him the overtime wages.
The driver, identified as 59-year-old Noel Clintron, said he worked for over 50 hours per week as driver for Trump and his family. His duty began at 7am in the morning and concluded late in the evening. As per the New York state law, he was entitled to time-and-a-half overtime wages which he was denied.
Clintron's counsel Larry Hutcher claims his client had not approached the legal route so far as he "needed the job". But since he has quit the Trump Organisation on Monday, he decided to sue the company for not paying him nearly $200,000 of overtime wage. The lawsuit further seeks another $150,000 as legal expenses incurred by Clintron.
The petitioner was serving as the personal driver of Trump till mid-2016. After Trump was announced as the official presidential nominee of the Republican party, the secret services took over his convoy and personal security.
In the 20 years of his service to the Trump Organisation, Clintron claims his salary was raised only twice. He was paid $62,700 per year, which was raised to $75,000 in 2010.
The hike came only on the condition of aborting his health insurance programme, claimed advocate Hutcher.
Amanda Miller, a spokeswoman for the Trump Organization, has denied the allegations levelled against the firm by Clintron. In a statement issued by her, Miller said Clintron was "paid generously" throughout his tenure of service, with no outstanding amount withheld. "Once the facts come out we expect to be fully vindicated in court," she added.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 10, 2018 10:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).