Buyers Sue Trump Tower Tampa

Yet another lawsuit has been filed against the developers of the troubled Trump Tower Tampa on the Hillsborough River downtown.

Buyers are suing the developer SimDag LLC because they were misled to think real estate developer Donald Trump was a partner in the 52-story high rise. They later learn he just licensed his name to SimDag, LLC.

“Mr. Trump has a reputation, and my clients were relying on his expertise,” said the attorney, Dean Papas of Gray Robinson in Tampa. “The truth is all he did was take money out of it.”

The suit, filed Monday in Hillsborough County Circuit Court, names Trump, SimDag and each of the original individual development partners.

The buyers felt there was a lot of deceit, such as a brochure that was signed by Trump stating “I am very proud to partner with SimDag/RoBel in presenting the Trump Tower Tamp.” Additionally, one brochure titled the partners featured photos of Patrick Sheppard, Howard Howell, Jody Simon, Robert Lyons, Frank Dagostino and Trump.

Last May Trump sued seeking to terminate his licensing agreement with Simdag. That’s when the buyers claim to have discovered the true partnership.

The developer currently has still not broken ground on the Trump Tower Tampa, citing unstable soil and a problem obtaining loan financing.

Read more about the Trump Tower Tampa law suit at the Herald Tribune.