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Did Donald Trump pay millions of dollars to settle fraud lawsuits against his for-profit college?

By Tom Kertscher
YES

Former President Donald Trump agreed after his 2016 election to pay $25 million, including $21 million to reimburse students, to settle three lawsuits alleging fraud by his for-profit Trump University.

Trump did not admit to wrongdoing in the two California class-action lawsuits and a suit brought by New York’s attorney general.

“Each suit alleged that Trump University used false advertising to lure prospective students to free investor workshops at which they were sold expensive three-day educational seminars,” according to an appeals court ruling. “At these seminars, instead of receiving the promised training, attendees were aggressively encouraged to invest tens of thousands of dollars more in a so-called mentorship program that included resources, real estate guidance and a host of other benefits, none of which ever materialized.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, at a campaign rally July 23, 2024, in West Allis, Wisconsin, claimed that Trump’s college “scammed” students.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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