Ex-Trump Chauffeur Drops Suit over Unpaid Overtime Claims
NEW YORK —
A former chauffeur for President Donald Trump on Thursday dropped his lawsuit alleging he was not paid for thousands of hours of work.
Noel Cintron’s attorney, Larry Hutcher, said the case has been submitted to arbitration for resolution.
The Trump Organization had requested just such a result in papers filed in Manhattan federal court earlier this month.
Cintron sued the Trump Organization in July, but not Trump. Still, he accused him of “callousness” and greed.
The Trump Organization said then that Cintron was always “paid generously and in accordance with the law.” A lawyer for the business did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
The lawsuit said Cintron was Trump’s driver for 20 years until the Secret Service took over in 2016.
His lawyer said after the lawsuit was filed that Cintron waited to sue because he wasn’t aware of all his legal rights and because he didn’t want to jeopardize his job.
The lawsuit alleged that Cintron routinely worked 50- to 55-hour weeks without overtime even though he was eligible for it. It said he made $75,000 annually since 2010, but lost his health insurance when his pay was raised from $68,000 that year.
In filing the lawsuit, he sought $170,000 in overtime alone, along with other costs and damages.
The Trump Organization filed papers earlier this month seeking to dismiss the lawsuit and force arbitration.
It said arbitration was required by an agreement signed by Cintron.
According to the court papers, Cintron had been employed by Trump Tower Commercial LLC, which owns and manages commercial areas of Trump Tower, since 1990. It said he had worked in various positions over the years, including manager and head of security.
The Trump Organization said in its filing that Cintron was required in June to sign papers requiring some disputes to be handled through arbitration. It said the papers were returned signed by Cintron in early July.
In another case Thursday, U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman ruled that Jessica Denson, who sued the Trump campaign on grounds of discrimination, harassment and defamation, must submit to arbitration.
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