Donald Trump Sues Chef José Andrés For $10 Million

UPDATE, August 3 at 9:30 a.m.: ThinkFoodGroup released a statement about the lawsuit on August 1, saying, "This lawsuit is both unsurprising and without merit. Simply put, Mr. Trump's comments made ThinkFoodGroup's participation in this project impossible and constituted a breach which the landlord, Trump Old Post Office LLC, refused to remedy. And despite our attempts to negotiate an amicable resolution, we were ultimately forced to terminate the lease."

Donald Trump is now suing chef José Andrés for $10 million after threatening legal action earlier this month.

Trump announced on July 31 that Andrés breached their contract to open a restaurant at the new Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C. Andrés canceled plans to open the restaurant after Trump made comments about Mexican immigrants "bringing crime" and "being rapists."

Trump's lawyers said that Andrés should not have been surprised by this, saying Trump's "publicly shared views on immigration have remained consistent for many years, and Mr. Trump's willingness to frankly share his opinions is widely known."

The lawsuit was filed in D.C. federal district court against ThinkFoodGroup, Andrés' company. Now that the lease is broken, the suit says Andrés owes $10 million in damages that include lost rent and the cost of finding a new tenant.

Andrés backed out of the restaurant deal on July 8, saying, "As a proud Spanish immigrant and recently naturalized American citizen myself, I believe that every human being deserves respect, regardless of immigration status."