A lawsuit filed Wednesday by a Washington D.C. restaurant and bar alleging that the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue has an unfair advantage given its ties to the sitting president is likely to face an uphill battle in courts, legal experts told TPM.
It is the second case this year taking aim at President Donald Trump's conflicts of interest. The first was a complaint filed by liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics accusing Trump of violating the Emoluments Clause, which bars the president from receiving payment from foreign governments.
In the complaint filed in D.C. Superior Court on Wednesday, lawyers for Cork Wine Bar argue that Trump's link to the hotel amounts to unfair competition. They alleged that his hotel has pulled customers from Cork and other restaurants in the city who think that patronizing the hotel will curry favor with the President.
A court will likely allow the case to proceed based on the injury spelled out in the complaint, but beyond that, it's unclear whether the D.C. restaurant has a chance to succeed in this unprecedented case, experts told TPM.
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