Unfinished Trump tower has tenant troubles

Chicago -- The 92-story Trump International Hotel and Tower project in Chicago has become embroiled in legal disputes with its tenants even before it has opened.

Four condominium buyers charged in a lawsuit that the management reneged on an offer to share profits from renting common areas, such as the hotel's ballroom and meeting room, the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday. In addition, the would-be tenants have said that the management changed the rules regarding occupancy.

Last fall, management said that owner occupancy would have "adverse impact" on the condo owner's standing in the hotel reservation system. Plaintiffs have charged that promotional material for the condos said the opposite.

A Cook County judge agreed in January to allow the plaintiffs to postpone their closing dates on the condos.

"It's a few people trying to get out of the contracts they had," Donald Trump Jr. told the Tribune. "Everything we did is within the parameters of what we were allowed to change."

Trump said the new tower, still under construction, has sold 70 percent of its 339 units and wasn't in jeopardy of losing business from the bad publicity.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.