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I remember gully cricket in school days. There were few rules for that. One who brings the bat gets to be the opener. The batting team gets umpire of choice from their own team, the umpire will try best not to be neutral. Obviously. There is always a chance of no ball once a catch is taken. But here is the biggest rule.Whoever wins the toss bats first. And most likely, there would be no fielding needed for team batting first as they would start departing very early once their innings is over.Chit fund is designed to be like gully cricket, just that gullible people never realize this. Theoretically it could be a regulated business under the Indian Chit Fund Act 1982.Here is how a chit fund should work.A group of people say 10, each decide to contribute 2000 each every month. So there is 20,000 in the kitty to be won each month. Now each member has to bid every month for the kitty of 20K at a discount. The one who needs money most will bid lowest. Say one guy bids 15000 for the kitty. This means that he gets 15000 from the 20 K collected. The rest 5000 becomes the profit for the entire fund & each member gets 500 each (5000 divided by 10) . So effectively the bidding member gets 15,000 + 500 as profit share in the first month when he has just contributed 2000 to the fund. But he needs money so he’s still okay. He will keep contributing 2000 each month for next 9 months when others bid for the monthly fund. (There is a organizer’s fee also of 5% , call it the fund management fee but lets not make it over complicated for now)As you see, it serves as a loan for the un-organized sector group who are almost untouched by the formal banking & have no access to consumer loans. So if someone needs bulk money for any immediate need in a month, he can bid lower but get the “loan” & keep paying the monthly “installment” later on. Looks like a good arrangement if you see.But it has got corrupted. In practice, it works like the gully cricket now. The reason you want to read this is because of the recent scams that have come to light (Saradha, PACL, etc.). Actually, these were not chit funds. There were more of what SEBI calls “Collective Investment Schemes”. But they were operating in the name of chit funds.A critical element of chit fund is that each member is empowered to bid for the kitty every month based of his need. In the recent scams however, the bigger groups like Saradha were just collecting money as “deposits” from the poor folks with a promise of astronomical returns. The investors had no control over how the money is spent or even to withdraw in the time of need. A business standard article points out:"Sen (owner of Saradha group of companies) offered fixed deposits, recurring deposits and monthly income schemes. The returns promised were handsome. In fixed deposits, for instance, Sen promised to multiply the principal 1.5 times in two-and-a-half years, 2.5 times in 5 years and 4 times in 7 years. High-value depositors were told they would get a free trip to "Singapur". (read Singapore)Imagine the kind of investors it was meant for.You would however be surprised to know the amount these schemes collect. PACL collected appx 45,000 crores (5.5 crore investors)(Head of PACL arrested over alleged $6.8 billion investment scam) , Saradha around 4000 crores (Saradha Group financial scandal - Wikipedia , Rose valley upto 40,000 crores ( Rose Valley scam: All you need to know about the chit fund case ). It is estimated that there are about 73 such schemes operating in West Bengal itself.Why are such schemes disguised as chit fund ?Under the Chit Fund Act (1982), chit funds are regulated by state governments rather than SEBI. With state govt politicians ever ready to oblige (for reasons not difficult to guess), the regukation is almost absent. Just look at the “regulation” of state govt in the Ponzi scheme for Saradha.SEBI first confronted Saradha Group in 2009. Saradha Group adapted by opening up to 200 new companies to create more cross-holdings. Saradha Group reacted by changing its methods of raising capital. In West Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam and Chhattisgarh, it began operating variations of collective investment schemes (CIS) involving tourism packages, forward travel and hotel booking timeshare credit transfer, real estate, infrastructure finance, and motorcycle manufacturing. Saradha invested in high visibility sectors, such as the Bengali film industry, where it recruited actress and Trinamool Congress(TMC) Member of Parliament (MP) Satabdi Roy as its brand ambassador.Bollywood actor and TMC MP Mithun Chakraborty was brought in as the brand ambassador of Saradha Group's media platform. By 2012, SEBI was able to classify the group's activities as collective investment schemes rather than chit funds—and demanded that it immediately stop operating its investment schemes until it received permission to operate from SEBI. Saradha Group did not comply with this ruling and continued to operate until its collapse in April 2013.The conclusion: Why does it keep happening again?Greed, commissions & political patronage. All the above were a form of PONZI schemes where money from later investors is used to pay the early investors. There is no real business to earn returns. The schemes run fine till they attain a scale in which new investors slow down & the scheme collapses.Greed, because people see no way to multiply their money by regular channels. Mutual funds is not even in sight for such people. However they want to double money in 2 - 3 years. Any reasonable credible source that promises them this is able to get their savings. Don’t think that such people are from poor sections only. Estimate is that one in every 5 Indians is under such investment or deposit scheme.Commissions, because no such deposit scheme can run without high commissions. In some cases, there were as high as 40% of the money collected. You need someone “from amongst the same group” of people who convinces them about the investment with informal meetings. With a herd mentality, once few “mavens” take a plunge, others don’t want to be left behind. Who wants to see their neighbor get rich faster ? Its okay if everyone picks the same risk. For some strange reason, the risk perception vanishes when crowd invests in one scheme.Political patronage: Well consider this. Sudipto Sen, the group's chairman and managing director of Saradha group, reportedly spent ₹18.6 million (US$260,000) to buy paintings by Mamata Banerjee, whose government later issued a notification that public libraries should buy and display Saradha Group newspapers. if the who’s-who of politics rub shoulders with the company management, how can anything go wrong ? Recall Sahara group ? or more recently Jaypee ? We are hardwired to trust the most disturbing combination - the politician & the business men.Can such Ponzi schemes ever end ?No. Very difficult. As long as there is greed, commissions & political patronage, this is not easy to end. Since chit funds have got a bad name, I hear that the schemes are now registered as chit fund but being “sold” with other names. SEBI having noticed this well in 2009, couldn’t do anything against any of these schemes until they collapsed under their own weight. As for RBI, the less said the better. The first time RBI asks state govt about this was in 2013 when the scheme was about to collapse.Can we learn anything from gully cricket that we all have played ?Yes, I learned one thing. If you win the toss, always bat first. Because the bowling side never gets to bat in such games. Same with money. If somebody tells me to invest today in fancy travel schemes, property time share, holiday packages or any such get rich scheme, I know for sure. If I pay money TODAY, I am actually bowling first in anticipation that the other side will bowl later . You know what. They’ll bat first & run away. So if I lose the toss, I would rather not play.Feel free to mail or write to me on twitter.Honest - Unbiased - Simplified, as always.Image courtesy: Business Standard

Our boy Trump has spent a lot of time and money in and out of court. The following very long and ongoing list of court cases won and lost, is compliments of Wikipedia:Trump and his businesses have been involved in 3,500 legal cases in U.S. federal courts and state court, an unprecedented number for a U.S. presidential candidate.[1]Of the 3,500 suits, Trump or one of his companies were plaintiffs in 1,900; defendants in 1,450; and bankruptcy, third party, or other in 150.[1]Trump was named in at least 169 suits in federal court.[2]Over 150 other cases were in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida (covering Broward County, Florida) since 1983.[3]In about 500 cases, judges dismissed plaintiffs' claims against Trump. In hundreds more, cases ended with the available public record unclear about the resolution.[1]Where there was a clear resolution, Trump won 451 times, and lost 38.[4]The topics of the legal cases include contract disputes, defamation claims, and allegations of sexual harassment. Trump's companies have been involved in more than 100 tax disputes, and on "at least three dozen" occasions the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance has obtained tax liens against Trump properties for nonpayment of taxes.[1]On a number of occasions, Trump has threatened legal action but did not ultimately follow through.[5]Of Trump's involvement in the lawsuits, his lawyer Alan Garten said in 2015 that this was "a natural part of doing business in [the United States]",[5][6]and in the real estate industry, litigation to enforce contracts and resolve business disputes is indeed common.[5]Trump has, however, been involved in far more litigation than fellow real-estate magnates; the USA Today analysis in 2016 found that Trump had been involved in legal disputes more than Edward J. DeBartolo Jr., Donald Bren, Stephen M. Ross, Sam Zell, and Larry Silverstein combined.[1]The Trump lawsuits[5][6]have attracted criticism from Trump's opponents, who say that this is not a trait that conservatives should support.[5]James Copland, director of legal policy at the conservative-leaning Manhattan Institute, states that "Trump clearly has an affinity for filing lawsuits, partly because he owns a lot of businesses" and has sometimes used litigation as a "bullying tactic".[5]Although Trump has said that he "never" settles legal claims, Trump and his businesses have settled with plaintiffs in at least 100 cases (mostly involving personal injury claims arising from injuries at Trump properties), with settlements ranging as high as hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars[1]and recently as high as tens of millions of dollars.[7]Among the most well-known Trump legal cases was the Trump University litigation. Three legal actions were brought alleging fraud, one by the New York State Attorney General and the others by class action plaintiffs.[8]In November 2016, Trump agreed to pay $25 million to settle the litigation.[7]In 1985, New York City brought a lawsuit against Trump for allegedly using tactics to force out tenants of 100 Central Park South,[17]which he intended to demolish together with the building next door. After ten years in court, the two sides negotiated a deal allowing the building to stand as condominiums.[18]In 1988, the Justice Department sued Trump for violating procedures related to public notifications when buying voting stock in a company related to his attempted takeovers of Holiday Corporation and Bally Manufacturing Corporation in 1986. On April 5, 1988, Trump agreed to pay $750,000 to settle the civil penalties of the antitrust lawsuit.[19]In late 1990, Trump was sued for $2 million by a business analyst for defamation, and Trump settled out of court.[20]Briefly before Trump's Taj Mahal opened in April 1990, the analyst had said that the project would fail by the end of that year. Trump threatened to sue the analyst's firm unless the analyst recanted or was fired. The analyst refused to retract the statements, and his firm fired him for ostensibly unrelated reasons.[21]Trump Taj Mahal declared bankruptcy in November 1990, the first of several such bankruptcies.[22]After, the NYSE ordered the firm to compensate the analyst $750,000; the analyst did not release the details of his settlement with Trump.[23]In 1991, Trump sued the manufacturers of a helicopter that crashed in 1989, killing three executives of his New Jersey hotel casino business.[24]The helicopter fell 2,800 feet after the main four-blade rotor and tail rotor broke off the craft, killing Jonathan Benanav, an executive of Trump Plaza, and two others: Mark Grossinger Etess, president of Trump Taj Mahal, and Stephen F. Hyde, chief executive of the Atlantic City casinos.[25][26][27]One of the defendants was owned by the Italian government, providing a basis for removing it to federal court, where the case was dismissed. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld the dismissal in 1992, and the Supreme Court denied Trump's petition to hear the case in the same year.[28]In 1991, Trump Plaza was fined $200,000 by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission for moving African American and female employees from craps tables in order to accommodate high roller Robert LiButti, a mob figure and alleged John Gotti associate, who was said to fly into fits of racist rage when he was on losing streaks.[29]There is no indication that Trump was ever questioned in that investigation, he was not held personally liable, and Trump denies even knowing what LiButti looked like.[29]In 1991, one of Trump's casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was found guilty of circumventing state regulations about casino financing when Donald Trump's father bought $3.5 million in chips that he had no plans to gamble. Trump Castle was forced to pay a $30,000 fine under the settlement, according to New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement Director Jack Sweeney. Trump was not disciplined for the illegal advance on his inheritance, which was not confiscated.[30]In 1993, Donald Trump sued Jay Pritzker, a Chicago financier and Trump's business partner since 1979 on the Grand Hyatt hotel. Trump alleged that Pritzker overstated earnings in order to collect excessive management fees.[31]In 1994, Pritzker sued Trump for violating their agreement by, among other ways, failing to remain solvent.[32]The two parties ended the feud in 1995 in a sealed settlement, in which Trump retained some control of the hotel and Pritzker would receive reduced management fees and pay Trump's legal expenses.[33]In 1993, Vera Coking sued Trump and his demolition contractor for damage to her home during construction of the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino.[34]In 1997, she dropped the suit against Trump and settled with his contractor for $90,000.[35]Coking had refused to sell her home to Trump and ultimately won a 1998 Supreme Court decision that prevented Atlantic City from using eminent domain to condemn her property.[36][37]In 1996, Trump was sued by more than 20 African-American residents of Indiana who charged that Trump reneged on promises to hire 70% of his work force from the minority community for his riverboat casino on Lake Michigan. The suit also charged that he hadn't honored his commitments to steer sufficient contracts to minority-owned businesses in Gary, Indiana. The suit was eventually dismissed due to procedural and jurisdiction issues.[38][39]In the late 1990s, Donald Trump and rival Atlantic City casino owner Stephen Wynn engaged in an extended legal conflict during the planning phase of new casinos Wynn had proposed to build. Both owners filed lawsuits against one another and other parties, including the State of New Jersey, beginning with Wynn's antitrust accusation against Trump.[40][41]After two years in court, Wynn's Mirage casino sued Trump in 1999 alleging that his company had engaged in a conspiracy to harm Mirage and steal proprietary information, primarily lists of wealthy Korean gamblers. In response, Trump's attorneys claimed that Trump's private investigator dishonored his contract by working as a "double agent" for the Mirage casino by secretly taping conversations with Trump. All the cases were settled at the same time on the planned day of an evidentiary hearing in court in February 2000, which was never held.[42]Personal and sexualIn 1992, Trump sued ex-wife Ivana Trump for not honoring a gag clause in their divorce agreement by disclosing facts about him in her best-selling book. Trump won the gag order.[43][44][45]The divorce was granted on grounds that Ivana claimed Donald Trump's treatment of her was "cruel and inhuman treatment".[46][47]Years later, Ivana said that she and Donald "are the best of friends".[48]A sexual assault claim from 1994 for child rape was filed against Trump on October 14, 2016,[49]a case that was dropped and refiled, remaining in suspension as of November 4, 2016.[50]In April 1997, Jill Harth Houraney filed a $125,000,000 lawsuit against Trump for sexual harassment in 1993, claiming he "'groped' her under her dress and told her he wanted to make her his 'sex slave'". Harth voluntarily withdrew the suit when her husband settled a parallel case. Trump has called the allegations "meritless".[51][52]Lawsuits 2000–2009[edit]In 2000, Donald Trump paid $250,000 to settle fines related to charges brought by New York State Lobbying Commission director David Grandeau. Trump was charged with circumventing state law to spend $150,000 lobbying against government approval of plans to construct an Indian-run casino in the Catskills, which would have diminished casino traffic to Trump's casinos in Atlantic City.[53][54]From 2000 on, Trump tried to partner with a German venture in building a "Trump Tower Europe" in Germany. The company founded for this, "TD Trump Deutschland AG" was dissolved in 2003, several lawsuits following in the years thereafter.[55]In 2001, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission brought a financial-reporting case against Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts Inc., alleging that the company had committed several "misleading statements in the company's third-quarter 1999 earnings release". Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts Inc. consented to the Commission's cease-and-desist order, said the culprit had been dismissed, and that Trump had personally been unaware of the matter.[56][57][58]Trump sued Leona Helmsley,[59]and Helmsley counter-sued Trump[60]due to contentions regarding ownership and operation of the Empire State Building. In 2002, Trump announced that he and his Japanese business partners, were selling the Empire State Building to partners of his rival Leona Helmsley.[61][62]In 2003, the city of Stuttgart denied TD Trump Deutschland AG, a Trump Organization subsidiary, the permission to build a planned tower due to questions over its financing. Trump Deutschland sued the city of Stuttgart, and lost. In 2004 Trump's German corporate partner brought suit against the Trump Organization for failure to pay back a EUR 200 million pre-payment as promised. In 2005, the German state attorney prosecuted Trump Deutschland and its partners for accounting fraud.[63][64][65]In 2004, Donald Trump sued Richard T. Fields in Broward County Circuit Court (in Florida); Fields was once Trump's business partner in the casino business, but had recently become a successful casino developer in Florida apart from Trump. Fields counter-sued Trump in Florida court. Trump alleged that Fields misled other parties into believing he still consulted for Trump, and Fields alleged improprieties in Trump's business.[66]The two businessmen agreed in 2008 to drop the lawsuits when Fields agreed to buy Trump Marina in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for $316 million,[67]but the deal was unsettled again in 2009 because Trump resigned his leadership of Trump Entertainment after Fields lowered his bid.[68]Fields never bought the company, which went into bankruptcy about the same time and was sold for $38 million.[69][70]Trump's lawsuit was dismissed after a hearing in 2010.[71]In 2004, the Trump Organization partnered with Bayrock Group on a $200 million hotel and condo project in Fort Lauderdale Beach, to be called Trump International Hotel & Tower. After proceeding for five years, real estate market devaluation stymied the project in 2009 and Trump dissolved his licensing deal, demanding that his name be removed from the building. Soon after this, the project defaulted on a $139 million loan in 2010.[72]Investors later sued the developers for fraud. Trump petitioned to have his name removed from the suit, saying he had only lent his name to the project. However his request was refused since he had participated in advertising for it.[73]The insolvent building project spawned over 10 lawsuits, some of which were still not settled in early 2016.[74]In 2006, the Town of Palm Beach began fining Trump $250 per day for ordinance violations related to his erection of an 80-foot-tall (24 m) flagpole flying a 15 by 25 feet (4.6 by 7.6 m) American flag on his property. Trump sued the town for $25 million, saying that they abridged his free speech, also disputing an ordinance that local businesses be "town-serving". The two parties settled as part of a court-ordered mediation, in which Trump was required to donate $100,000 to veterans' charities. At the same time, the town ordinance was modified allowing Trump to enroll out-of-town members in his Mar-a-Lago social club.[75]Trump International Hotel and Tower in ChicagoAfter the 2008 housing-market collapse, Deutsche Bank attempted to collect $40 million that Donald Trump personally guaranteed against their $640 million loan for Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago. Rather than paying the debt, Trump sued Deutsche Bank for $3 billion for undermining the project and damage to his reputation.[76]Deutsche Bank then filed suit to obtain the $40 million. The two parties settled in 2010 with Deutsche Bank extending the loan term by five years.[77]In 2008, Trump filed a $100 million lawsuit for alleged fraud and civil rights violations[78]against the California city of Rancho Palos Verdes, over thwarted luxury home development and expansion plans upon part of a landslide-prone golf course in the area, which was purchased by Trump in 2002 for $27 million.[78]Trump had previously sued a local school district over land leased from them in the re-branded Trump National Golf Club, and had further angered some local residents by renaming a thoroughfare after himself.[78]The $100 million suit was ultimately withdrawn in 2012 with Trump and the city agreeing to modified geological surveys and permit extensions for some 20 proposed luxury homes (in addition to 36 homes previously approved).[79][80]Trump ultimately opted for a permanent conservation easement instead of expanded housing development on the course's driving range.[81]In 2009, Donald Trump sued a law firm he had used, Morrison Cohen, for $5 million for mentioning his name and providing links to related news articles on its website. This lawsuit followed a lawsuit by Trump alleging overcharging by the law firm, and a countersuit by Morrison Cohen seeking unpaid legal fees.[82]The suit was dismissed in a 15-page ruling by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Eileen Bransten, who ruled that the links to news articles concerned "matters of public interest."[83]In 2009, Trump was sued by investors who had made deposits for condos in the canceled Trump Ocean Resort Baja Mexico.[84]The investors said that Trump misrepresented his role in the project, stating after its failure that he had been little more than a spokesperson for the entire venture, disavowing any financial responsibility for the debacle.[85]Investors were informed that their investments would not be returned due to the cancellation of construction.[84]In 2013, Trump settled the lawsuit with more than one hundred prospective condo owners for an undisclosed amount.[86]Lawsuits 2010–presentConstruction and property law matters[edit]In 2011, Donald Trump sued Scotland, alleging that it built the Aberdeen Bay Wind Farm after assuring him it would not be built. He had recently built a golf course there and planned to build an adjacent hotel. Trump lost his suit, with the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom unanimously ruling in favor of the Scottish government in 2015.[87][88]In 2013, 87-year-old Jacqueline Goldberg alleged that Trump cheated her in a condominium sale by bait-and-switch when she was purchasing properties at the Trump International Hotel and Tower.[89]In 2015, Trump initiated a $100 million lawsuit against Palm Beach County claiming that officials, in a "deliberate and malicious" act, pressured the FAA to direct air traffic to the Palm Beach International Airport over his Mar-a-Lago estate, because he said the airplanes damaged the building and disrupted its ambiance.[90]Trump had previously sued the county twice over airport noise; the first lawsuit, in 1995, ended with an agreement between Trump and the county; Trump's second lawsuit, in 2010, was dismissed.[90]Trump is suing the town of Ossining, New York, over the property tax valuation on his 147-acre (59 ha) Trump National Golf Club Westchester, located in Briarcliff Manor's portion of the town, which Trump purchased for around $8 million at a foreclosure sale in the 1990s and to which he claimed, at the club's opening, to have added $45 million in facility improvements.[91]Although Trump stated in his 2015 FEC filing that the property was worth at least $50 million, his lawsuit seeks a $1.4 million valuation on the property, which includes a 75,000-square-foot clubhouse, five overnight suites, and permission to build 71 condominium units,[91]in an effort to shave $424,176 from his annual local property tax obligations.(91A) Trump had to pay nearly $300,000 in attorney’s fees in Doral painter’s lawsuit related to unpaid bills brought by a local paint store against the Trump National Doral Miami golf resort, ordered the billionaire politician’s company to pay the Doral-based mom-and-pop shop nearly $300,000 in attorney’s fees. All because, according to the lawsuit, Trump allegedly tried to stiff The Paint Spot on its last payment of $34,863 on a $200,000 contract for paint used in the renovation of the home of golf’s famed Blue Monster two years prior.[92]Trump filed the action after separately being sued by Briarcliff Manor for "intentional and illegal modifications" to a drainage system that caused more than $238,000 in damage to the village's library, public pool, and park facilities during a 2011 storm.[92]In October 2016, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that Trump, together with two principals of a connected developer, could be sued for various claims, including oppression, collusion and breach of fiduciary duties, in relation to his role in the marketing of units in the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Toronto, Canada.[93]A subsequent application for leave to appeal was dismissed by the Supreme Court of Canada in March 2017.[94]Also in October 2016, JCF Capital ULC (a private firm that had bought the construction loan on the building) announced that it was seeking court approval under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act to have the building sold in order to recoup its debt, which then totaled $301 million.[95]The court allowed for its auction[96]which took place in March 2017, but no bidders, apart from one stalking horse offer, took part.[97]Defamation mattersAlso in 2011, an appellate court upheld a New Jersey Superior Court judge's decision dismissing Trump's $5 billion defamation lawsuit against author Timothy L. O'Brien, who had reported in his book, TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald (2005), that Trump's true net worth was really between $150 and $250 million. Trump had reportedly told O'Brien he was worth billions and, in 2005, had publicly stated such.[98]Trump said that the author's alleged underestimation of his net worth was motivated by malice and had cost him business deals and damage to his reputation.[99]The appellate court, however, ruled against Trump, citing the consistency of O'Brien's three confidential sources.[100]In 2014, the former Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin ultimately settled a $5 million arbitration judgment against her, having been sued by Trump after alleging that the Miss USA 2012 pageant results were rigged. Monnin wrote on her Facebook page that another contestant told her during a rehearsal that she had seen a list of the top five finalists, and when those names were called in their precise order, Monnin realized the pageant election process was suspect, compelling Monnin to resign her Miss Pennsylvania title. The Trump Organization's lawyer said that Monnin's allegations had cost the pageant a lucrative British Petroleum sponsorship deal and threatened to discourage women from entering Miss USA contests in the future.[101]According to Monnin, testimony from the Miss Universe Organization and Ernst & Young revealed that the top 15 finalists were selected by pageant directors regardless of preliminary judges' scores.[102]As part of the settlement, Monnin was not required to retract her original statements.[101]On January 17, 2017, Summer Zervos, represented by attorney Gloria Allred, filed a defamation suit against President-Elect Donald Trump for claiming that she had lied in her public sexual assault allegations against him.[103]Financial mattersIn July 2011, New York firm ALM Unlimited filed a lawsuit against Trump, who ended payments to the company in 2008 after nearly three years. ALM was hired in 2003 to seek offers from clothing companies for a Trump fashion line, and had arranged a meeting between Trump and PVH, which licensed the Trump name for dress shirts and neckwear. ALM, which had received over $300,000, alleged in the lawsuit that Trump's discontinuation of payments was against their initial agreement. In pre-trial depositions, Trump and two of his business officials – attorney George H. Ross and executive vice president of global licensing Cathy Glosser – gave contradictory statements regarding whether ALM was entitled to payments. Trump, who felt that ALM had only a limited role in the deal between him and PVH, said "I have thousands of checks that I sign a week, and I don't look at very many of the checks; and eventually I did look, and when I saw them (ALM) I stopped paying them because I knew it was a mistake or somebody made a mistake."[104]In January 2013, a judge ordered that the case go to trial, after Trump and ALM failed to settle the lawsuit.[105]During the trial in April 2013, Trump said that ALM's role in the PVH agreement was insubstantial, stating that Regis Philbin was the one who recommended PVH to him. Trump's attorney, Alan Garten, said ALM was not legally entitled to any money.[105][106][107]The judge ruled in favor of Trump later that month because a valid contract between him and ALM was never created.[107]Trump University litigationMain article: Trump University § Allegations of impropriety and lawsuitsIn 2013, in a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, Trump was accused of defrauding more than 5,000 people of $40 million for the opportunity to learn Trump's real estate investment techniques in a for-profit training program, Trump University, which operated from 2005 to 2011.[108][109][110]Trump ultimately stopped using the term "University" following a 2010 order from New York regulators, who called Trump's use of the word "misleading and even illegal"; the state had previously warned Trump in 2005 to drop the term or not offer seminars in New York.[111][112][113]Although Trump has claimed a 98% approval rating on course evaluations, former students recounted high-pressure tactics from instructors seeking the highest possible ratings, including threats of withholding graduation certificates,[114]and more than 2,000 students had sought and received course refunds before the end of their paid seminars.[114]In a separate class action civil suit against Trump University in mid-February 2014, a San Diego federal judge allowed claimants in California, Florida, and New York to proceed;[115]a Trump counterclaim, alleging that the state Attorney General's investigation was accompanied by a campaign donation shakedown, was investigated by a New York ethics board and dismissed in August 2015.[116]Trump filed a $1 million defamation suit against former Trump University student Tarla Makaeff, who had spent about $37,000 on seminars, after she joined the class action lawsuit and publicized her classroom experiences on social media.[85]Trump University was later ordered by a U.S. District Judge in April 2015 to pay Makaeff and her lawyers $798,774.24 in legal fees and costs.[85][117]Breach of contract matters2013]In 2013 Trump sued comedian Bill Maher for $5 million for breach of contract.[118]Maher had appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and had offered to pay $5 million to a charity if Trump produced his birth certificate to prove that Trump's mother had not mated with an orangutan. This was said by Maher in response to Trump having previously challenged Obama to produce his birth certificate, and offering $5 million payable to a charity of Obama's choice, if Obama produced his college applications, transcripts, and passport records.[119][120]Trump produced his birth certificate and filed a lawsuit after Maher was not forthcoming, claiming that Maher's $5 million offer was legally binding. "I don't think he was joking," Trump said. "He said it with venom."[119]Trump withdrew his lawsuit against the comedian after eight weeks.[121]2014[edit]In 2014, model Alexia Palmer filed a civil suit against Trump Model Management for promising a $75,000 annual salary but paying only $3,380.75 for three years' work. Palmer, who came to the US at age 17 from Jamaica under the H-1B visa program in 2011,[122]claimed to be owed more than $200,000. Palmer contended that Trump Model Management charged, in addition to a management fee, "obscure expenses" from postage to limousine rides that consumed the remainder of her compensation. Palmer alleged that Trump Model Management promised to withhold only 20% of her net pay as agency expenses, but after charging her for those "obscure expenses", ended up taking 80%.[123]Trump attorney Alan Garten claimed the lawsuit is "bogus and completely frivolous".[124][125]Palmer filed a class-action lawsuit against the modeling agency with similar allegations.[126]The case was dismissed from U.S. federal court in March 2016, in part because Palmer's immigration status, via H1-B visa sponsored by Trump, required labor complaints to be filed through a separate process.[123][127]2015[edit]In 2015, Trump sued Univision, demanding $500 million for breach of contract and defamation when they dropped their planned broadcast of the Miss USA pageant. The network said that the decision was made because of Trump's "insulting remarks about Mexican immigrants".[128]Trump settled the lawsuit with Univision CEO Randy Falco out of court.[129]In July 2015, Trump filed a $10 million lawsuit in D.C. Superior Court for breach of contract against Spanish celebrity chef José Andrés, claiming that he backed out of a deal to open the flagship restaurant at Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.[130][131]Andrés replied that Trump's lawsuit was "both unsurprising and without merit"[132]and filed an $8 million counterclaim against a Trump Organization subsidiary.[131][133]Also in July 2015, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian also withdrew from the Washington, D.C., project with Andrés in the wake of Trump's comments on Mexican illegal immigrants, and is expected to lose his own $500,000 restaurant lease deposit as a result.[132]Trump denounced and then sued Zakarian in August 2015 for a sum "in excess of $10 million" for lost rent and other damages.[134]Trump's lawsuit called Zakarian's offense at his remarks "curious in light of the fact that Mr. 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".[134][135]Disputes with both chefs were eventually settled in April 2017.[136]In 2015, restaurant workers at Trump SoHo filed a lawsuit that from 2009 to at least the time of the filing, gratuities added to customers' checks were illegally withheld from employees. The Trump Organization has responded that the dispute is between the employees and their employer, a third-party contractor. Donald Trump has been scheduled to testify in court on September 1, 2016.[137][138]2018[edit]In 2018, Noel Cintron, the personal driver for Donald Trump before he became the President of the United States, filed a lawsuit Cintron v Trump Organization LLC with the Supreme Court of the State of New York (Manhattan). The lawsuit claims that during his 25-year employment by Trump, he was not compensated for overtime and the second time his salary was raised he was induced to surrender his health insurance, an action which saved Trump approximately $17,866 per year.[139]The lawsuit seeks $178,200 of overtime back pay, plus $5,000 in penalties that are seen under the New York State Labor Law.[140]Assault claims[edit]In September 2015, five men who had demonstrated outside of a Trump presidential campaign event at Trump Tower in New York City sued Donald Trump, alleging that Trump's security staff punched one of them. They also allege that Trump's security guards had been advised by city police that they were permitted to protest there. Several people videotaped the incident.[141][142]In June 2015, the Culinary Workers Union filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging that the owners of Trump Hotel Las Vegas "violated the federally protected rights of workers to participate in union activities" and engaged in "incidents of alleged physical assault, verbal abuse, intimidation, and threats by management".[143]In October 2015, the Trump Ruffin Commercial and Trump Ruffin Tower I, the owners of Trump Hotel Las Vegas, sued the Culinary Workers Union and another union, alleging that they had knowingly distributed flyers that falsely stated that Donald Trump had stayed at a rival unionized hotel, rather than his own non-unionized hotel, during a trip to Las Vegas.[5][143]Poll watching controversy[edit]On October 31, 2016, a New Jersey federal judge, John Michael Vazquez, ordered the Republican National Committee (RNC) to hand over all communications with the Trump campaign related to poll watching and voter fraud. He asked for testimony and documents relating to Kellyanne Conway, RNC officials Ronna Romney McDaniel of Michigan, and Rob Gleason from Pennsylvania.[144]It is claimed Gleason, McDaniel, and Roger Stone recruited poll watchers to check for voter fraud. The state Democratic parties of Nevada, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Ohio filed lawsuits against Trump for encouraging illegal voter intimidation. The states' Democratic parties are also suing their respective Republican party counterparts, along with Roger Stone, who is allegedly recruiting poll watchers and organizing ballot security efforts in a number of states. Stone runs the group "Stop the Steal." It claims Trump supporters yelled at voters outside Las Vegas area polling places when they said they weren't voting for the Republican nominee, and that Stone is asking supporters to conduct an illegitimate "exit polling" initiative aimed at intimidating voters of color.Pat McDonald, the director of Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in Ohio, reported that "Trump supporters have already visited the county elections board identifying themselves as poll observers, even though they did not appear to be credentialed as poll observers as required under Ohio law." Election officials have expressed concern about "instability on Election Day," one lawsuit claims, and discussed the possibility of bringing police to polling sites to address conflicts. In Clark County of Nevada, a lawsuit claims: "A Trump supporter harassed and intimidated multiple voters outside of the Albertson's supermarket early voting location on Lake Mead Boulevard, repeatedly asking voters for whom they were voting, and then yelling at them belligerently and attempting to keep them from entering the voting location when they stated they were not voting for Donald Trump." When poll staffers told the Trump supporters to stop harassing voters, "the Trump supporter told poll workers that he had 'a right to say anything he wanted to the voters.'" Poll staffers called police, and the Trump supporter left. The lawsuit also claims similar incidents took place in neighboring Nye County as well. In Pennsylvania, Murrysville City Councilman Josh Lorenz supposedly posted instructions for the way Clinton supporters could vote online, even though there is no online voting in Pennsylvania. Eight registered electors, mostly from the Philadelphia area, challenged the portion of the state Election Code that prevents poll watchers from observing elections outside of the counties where they live.[145][146][147]In Pompano Beach, Florida, police asked two poll watchers to leave a polling site. Two precinct clerks were also fired for not adhering to policy and training. No arrests were made. No other incidents were reported in South Florida.[148][149]Nevada early voting Latino turnout controversy[edit]On November 8, 2016, Trump filed a lawsuit claiming early voting polling places in Clark County, Nevada, were kept open too late. These precincts had high turnout of Latino voters. Nevada state law explicitly states that polls are to stay open to accommodate eligible voters in line at closing time. Hillary Clinton campaign advisor Neera Tanden says the Trump campaign is trying to suppress Latino voter turnout. A political analyst from Nevada, Jon Ralston tweeted that the Trump lawsuit is "insane" in a state that clearly allows the polls to remains open until everyone in line has voted. Former Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller, posted the statute that states "voting must continue until those voters have voted". Miller said: "If there are people in line waiting to vote at 7 pm, voting must continue until everyone votes.... We still live in America, right?"[150]A Nevada judge denied Trump's request to separate early voting ballots. Judge Gloria Sturman, of the District Court for Clark County Nevada, ruled that County Registrar of Voters Joe P. Gloria was already obligated by state law to maintain the records that the Trump campaign is seeking. Sturman said: "That is offensive to me because it seems to go against the very principle that a vote is secret."[151][152]Diana Orrock, the Republican National Committeewoman for Nevada and a vocal Trump ally, said she was unaware of the lawsuit before Politico contacted her. "I know that the [Clark County] registrar was on TV this morning saying that anybody who's in line was allowed to participate in the voting process until all of them came through," she said. "If that's what they did, I don't have a problem with that ... I don't know that filing a suit's going to accomplish anything." Orrock doubts the lawsuit will have any impact.[153]Lawsuit for inciting violence at March 2016 campaign rally[edit]During a campaign rally on March 1, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky, Trump repeatedly said "get 'em out of here" while pointing at anti-Trump protesters as they were forcibly escorted out by his supporters. Three protesters say they were repeatedly shoved and punched while Trump pointed at them from the podium, citing widely shared video evidence of the events. They also cited previous statements by Trump about paying the legal bills of supporters who got violent, or suggesting a demonstrator deserved to be "roughed up."[154][155][156][157]The lawsuit accuses Donald Trump of inciting violence against protesters in Louisville, Kentucky. The plaintiffs are Kashiya Nwanguma (21), Molly Shah (36) and Henry Brousseau (17). The suit is against Trump, his campaign, and three Trump supporters (Matthew Heimbach, Alvin Bamberger and an unnamed defendant). One defendant, Bamburger, who was wearing a Veteran's uniform in the video, apologized to the Korean War Veterans Association immediately after the event, writing that he "physically pushed a young woman down the aisle toward the exit" after "Trump kept saying 'get them out, get them out."[154]Trump's attorneys requested to get the case dismissed, arguing he was protected by free speech laws, and wasn't trying to get his supporters to resort to violence.[156][158]They also stated that Trump had no duty to the protesters, and they had assumed the personal risk of injury by deciding to protest at the rally.[154]On Friday, April 1, 2017, Judge David J. Hale in Louisville ruled against the dismissal of a lawsuit, stating there was ample evidence to support that the injuries of the protesters were a "direct and proximate result" of Trump's words and actions. Hale wrote, "It is plausible that Trump's direction to 'get 'em out of here' advocated the use of force," and, "It was an order, an instruction, a command." Hale wrote that the Supreme Court has ruled out some protections for free speech when used to incite violence.[159]Defendant Heimbach requested to dismiss the discussion in the lawsuit about his association with a white nationalist group, and also requested to dismiss discussion of statements he made about how a President Trump would advance the interests of the group. The request was declined, with the judge saying the information could be important for determining punitive damages because they add context.[154]Hale also declined to remove the allegation that Plaintiff Nwanguma, who is African-American, was victim to ethnic, racial and sexist slurs at the rally from the crowd. The judge stated that this context may support claims by the plaintiffs' of incitement and negligence by Trump and the Trump campaign. The judge wrote, "While the words themselves are repulsive, they are relevant to show the atmosphere in which the alleged events occurred."[154]The judge stated that all people have a duty to use care to prevent foreseeable injury. "In sum, the Court finds that Plaintiffs have adequately alleged that their harm was foreseeable and that the Trump Defendants had a duty to prevent it." The case was referred a federal magistrate, Judge H. Brent Brennenstuhl, who will handle preliminary litigation, discovery and settlement efforts.[160]Heimbach filed a separate counterclaim in April 2017, arguing that Trump was "responsible for any injuries" he [Heimbach] "might have inflicted because Mr. Trump directed him and others to take action". Heimbach, "a self-employed landscaper", and a member of the Traditionalist Youth Network, "which advocates separate American 'ethno states', "spends much of his time" online writing "against Jews, gays and immigrants and urging whites to stand up for their race." He wrote his own lawsuit which requested that Trump pay Heimbach's "legal fees, citing a promise Mr. Trump made at an earlier rally to pay legal costs of anyone who removed protesters."[161]Heimbach's "counterclaim" against Trump has "probed the limits of free speech and public protest while confronting the courts with a unique legal argument".[161]On May 5, Trump's lawyers submitted legal filings that argue that Heimbach's "indemnity claim should be dismissed on the same grounds". According to a University of Virginia law professor, Leslie Kendrick, this indemnity or "impleader" case is "highly unusual."[161]New York University's Samuel Issacharoff, a professor of constitutional law, argued that care must be taken to not allow speech, in the "context of a political rally" to be "turned into something that is legally sanctionable."[161]Payments related to alleged affairs[edit]See also: Stormy Daniels–Donald Trump scandal and Karen McDougal § Alleged affair with Donald TrumpAdult film actress Stormy Daniels has alleged that she and Trump had an extramarital affair in 2006, months after the birth of his youngest child.[162]Just before the 2016 presidential election Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was paid $130,000 by Trump's attorney Michael Cohen as part of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), through an LLC set up by Cohen; he says he used his own money for the payment.[163]In February 2018, Daniels filed suit against the LLC asking to be released from the agreement so that she can tell her story. Cohen filed a private arbitration proceeding and obtained a restraining order to keep her from discussing the case.[164]According to White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump has denied the allegations.[165]On March 6, 2018, Daniels sued Trump in California Superior Court, claiming among other things that the NDA never came into effect because Trump did not sign it personally.[166]On March 16 Cohen, with Trump's approval, asked for Daniels' suit to be moved from state to federal court, based on the criteria that the parties live in different places and the amount at stake is more than $75,000; Cohen asserted that Daniels could owe $20 million in liquidated damages for breaching the agreement.[167]The filing marked the first time that Trump himself, through his personal attorney, had taken part in the Daniels litigation.[168]In early April 2018, Trump said that he did not know about Cohen paying Daniels, why Cohen had made the payment or where Cohen got the money from.[169]On April 30, Daniels further sued Trump for defamation.[170]In May 2018, Trump's annual financial disclosure revealed that he reimbursed Cohen in 2017 for expenditures related to the Daniels case.[171]In August 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance laws, admitting paying hush money of $130,000 and $150,000 "at the direction of a candidate for federal office", to two women who alleged affairs with that candidate, "with the purpose of influencing the election". The figures match sums of payments made to Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal.[172][173]American Media, Inc. had reportedly in 2016 bought for $150,000 the rights to a story by McDougal alleging an affair with a married Trump from 2006 which lasted between nine months to a year.[174][175][176]David Pecker (AMI CEO/Chairman and friend of Trump), Dylan Howard (AMI chief content officer) and Allen Weisselberg (chief financial officer of The Trump Organization) were reportedly granted witness immunity in exchange for their testimony regarding the illegal payments.[177][178]In response, Trump said that he only knew about the payments "later on"; Trump also said regarding the payments: "They didn't come out of the campaign, they came from me."[179]The Wall Street Journal reported on November 9, 2018 that federal prosecutors have evidence of Trump’s "central role" in payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal that violated campaign-finance laws.[180][181]Special Counsel investigation[edit]Main article: Special Counsel investigation (2017–present)The Special Counsel investigation is a United States law enforcement investigation of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and any Russian (or other foreign) interference in the election, including exploring any possible links or coordination between Trump's campaign and the Russian government, "and any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation."[182]Since May 2017, the investigation has been led by a United States Special Counsel, Robert Mueller, a former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI). Mueller's investigation took over several FBI investigations including those involving former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.It has been noted that Trump has experienced a high turnover with respect to the attorneys handling this matter, as well as a large number of prominent lawyers and law firms publicly declining offers to join Trump's legal team.[183][184]Attorneys known to have been approached include Robert S. Bennett of Hogan Lovells,[185]Paul Clement and Mark Filip, both with Kirkland & Ellis,[186][186]Robert Giuffra Jr. of Sullivan & Cromwell,[185]Theodore B. Olson of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher,[187]and Brendan V. Sullivan Jr. of Williams & Connolly.[186]Other firms with attorneys who have decided not to represent Trump include Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan,[188]Steptoe & Johnson,[188]and Winston & Strawn.[citation needed]Former U.S. Attorney Joseph diGenova and his wife Victoria Toensing were briefly slated to join Trump's legal team, but withdrew their services from Trump in March 2018, citing conflicts of interest.[189]In an article describing the "unique circumstance" of Rudy Giuliani's unpaid leave of absence from Greenberg Traurig while representing Trump, possibly because of "potential conflicts", Christine Simmons said some other law firms may have turned down representing Trump in the Russia case due to "public relations headaches or business and recruitment concerns".[190]Trump has called such views a "Fake News narrative".[191][192]In a National Law Journal article, Ryan Lovelace described how white-collar lawyers must weigh the "risks" and "stigma" of joining the Trump team. He quoted a prominent defense attorney's concerns about "the constant shuffle of attorneys in and out of the president's legal team", and the possibility that an attorney could invest resources and reputation in such representation "only to find yourself on the sidelines a short time later because the president saw someone he liked better on Fox News".[192]The quoted attorney also noted "a stigma to being linked to this president" that might impact business with other clients.[192]A list of other reasons for not wanting to represent Trump is provided by Jill Abramson for The Guardian:The problem for the white-collar defense bar's crème de la crème is that Donald Trump is so blatantly the client from hell. He won't listen. He won't obey instructions. He is headstrong. He is a bully. Sometimes, he doesn't pay his bills. Most of all, it's possible that he isn't capable of discerning fact from fiction. This last foible could get any lawyer who represents him into very deep legal hot water. No one wants to get disbarred for the fame and fortune of representing President Trump. Then there's the justifiable concern over all the unforced legal errors that the defense side, led by Trump himself, has already committed.[193]An Above the Law article states that some law firms have refused to represent the President of the United States because "Donald Trump has somehow turned POTUS into a dog of a client self-respecting lawyers do not want to touch", expressing concern that "[i]f all the good attorneys — the ones with reputations to preserve and ethics to uphold — refuse to represent the president, what's left are the 'bad' attorneys. The ones who don't have the slightest idea what a moral and ethical principle is".[194]Allegations of business links to organized crime[edit]Journalists David Cay Johnston and Wayne Barrett, the latter of whom wrote an unauthorized 1992 Trump biography, have claimed that Trump and his companies did business with New York and Philadelphia families linked to the Italian-American Mafia.[195][196]A reporter for The Washington Post writes, "he was never accused of illegality, and observers of the time say that working with the mob-related figures and politicos came with the territory."[197]Trump helped a financier for the Scarfo family get a casino license, and constructed a casino using firms controlled by Nicodemo Scarfo.[198]Trump also bought real estate from Philadelphia crime family member Salvatore Testa, and bought concrete from companies associated with the Genovese crime family and the Gambino crime family.[195][196][197]Trump Plaza paid a $450,000 fine leveled by the Casino Gaming Commission for giving $1.6 million in rare automobiles to Robert LiButti, the acquaintance of John Gotti already mentioned.[29]Starting in 2003, the Trump Organization worked with Felix Sater, who had a 1998 racketeering conviction for a $40 million Mafia-linked stock fraud scheme, and who had then become an informant against the mafia.[199]Trump's attorney has said that Sater worked with Trump scouting real estate opportunities, but was never formally employed.[200]Use of bankruptcy laws[edit]Trump has never filed for personal bankruptcy, but hotel and casino businesses of his have been declared bankrupt four times between 1991 and 2009 to re-negotiate debt with banks and owners of stock and bonds.[201][202]Because the businesses used Chapter 11 bankruptcy, they were allowed to operate while negotiations proceeded. Trump was quoted by Newsweek in 2011 saying, "I do play with the bankruptcy laws – they're very good for me" as a tool for trimming debt.[82][203]According to a report by Forbes in 2011, the four bankruptcies were the result of over-leveraged hotel and casino businesses in Atlantic City: Trump's Taj Mahal (1991), Trump Plaza Hotel (1992), Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts (2004), and Trump Entertainment Resorts (2009).[204][205]Trump said "I've used the laws of this country to pare debt.... We'll have the company. We'll throw it into a chapter. We'll negotiate with the banks. We'll make a fantastic deal. You know, it's like on The Apprentice. It's not personal. It's just business."[206]He indicated that many "great entrepreneurs" do the same.[204]1991[edit]In 1991, Trump Taj Mahal was unable to service its debt and filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[206]Forbes indicated that this first bankruptcy was the only one where Trump's personal financial resources were involved. Time, however, maintains that $72 million of his personal money was also involved in a later 2004 bankruptcy.[207]1992[edit]On November 2, 1992, the Trump Plaza Hotel filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and Trump lost his 49 percent stake in the luxury hotel to Citibank and five other lenders.[208]In return Trump received more favorable terms on the remaining $550+ million owed to the lenders, and retain his position as chief executive, though he would not be paid and would not have a role in day-to-day operations.[209]1994[edit]Trump Plaza Hotel and Casinoclosed in 2014By 1994, Trump had eliminated a large portion of his $900 million personal debt through sales of his Trump Taj Mahal and Trump Plazaassets,[210]and significantly reduced his nearly $3.5 billion in business debt. Although he lost the Trump Princess yacht and the Trump Shuttle (which he had bought in 1989), he did retain Trump Tower in New York City and control of three casinos in Atlantic City, including Trump's Castle. Trump sold his ownership of West Side Yards (now Riverside South, Manhattan) to Chinese developers including Hong Kong's New World Development, receiving a premium price in exchange for the use and display of the name "Trump" on the buildings.[211]2004[edit]Donald Trump's third corporate bankruptcy was on October 21, 2004, involving Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts, the publicly-traded holding company for his three Atlantic City casinos and some others.[212]Trump lost over half of his 56% ownership and gave bondholders stock in exchange for surrendering part of the debt. No longer CEO, Trump retained a role as chairman of the board. In May 2005[213]the company emerged from bankruptcy as Trump Entertainment Resorts Holdings.[214]In his 2007 book, Think BIG and Kick Ass in Business and Life, Trump wrote: "I figured it was the bank's problem, not mine. What the hell did I care? I actually told one bank, 'I told you you shouldn't have loaned me that money. I told you the goddamn deal was no good.'"[215]2009[edit]Trump's fourth corporate bankruptcy occurred in 2009, when Trump and his daughter Ivanka resigned from the board of Trump Entertainment Resorts; four days later the company, which owed investors $1.74 billion against its $2.06 billion of assets, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. At that time, Trump Entertainment Resorts had three properties in Atlantic City: Trump Taj Mahal, Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino (closed in 2014), and Trump Marina (formerly Trump's Castle, sold in 2011). Trump and some investors bought the company back that same year for $225 million. As part of the agreement, Trump withdrew a $100 million lawsuit he had filed against the casino's owners alleging damage to the Trump brand. Trump re-negotiated the debt, reducing by over $1 billion the repayments required to bondholders.[216][217]In 2014, Trump sued his former company to remove his name from the buildings since he no longer ran the company, having no more than a 10% stake; he lost the suit.[218]Trump Entertainment Resorts filed again for bankruptcy in 2014[219]and was purchased by billionaire philanthropist Carl Icahn in 2016, who acquired Trump Taj Mahal in the deal.[220]Campaign contributions[edit]According to a New York state report, Trump circumvented corporate and personal campaign donation limits in the 1980s – although he did not break any laws – by donating money to candidates from 18 different business subsidiaries, rather than giving primarily in his own name.[197][221]Trump told investigators he did so on the advice of his lawyers. He also said the contributions were not to curry favor with business-friendly candidates, but simply to satisfy requests from friends.[197][222]Donald J. Trump Foundation[edit]During the 2016 U.S. presidential election, media began reporting in detail on how the Donald J. Trump Foundation was funded and how Donald Trump used its funds. The Washington Post in particular reported several cases of possible mis-use, self-dealing and possible tax evasion.[18] [19] [20]Regarding the various irregularities in the Trump Foundation, former head of the Internal Revenue Service's Office of Exempt Organizations Division Marc Owens told The Washington Post: "This is so bizarre, this laundry list of issues.... It's the first time I've ever seen this, and I've been doing this for 25 years in the IRS, and 40 years total.[21]When interviewed for the Post's article, Trump spokesperson Boris Epshtein said that Trump did not knowingly violate any tax laws.[18]The office of New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman investigated the foundation "to make sure it's complying with the laws governing charities in New York."[22]Controversy over tax returns[edit]In October 2016, The New York Times published some tax documents from 1995. These documents indicate that Trump might have evaded paying taxes on as much as 916 million dollars in income at one time. Trump likely gave some of his creditors shares of his failing businesses to avoid taxes on hundreds of millions of dollars he was given in debt relief, which is illegal. Legal scholar Edward Kleinbard of the University of Southern California believes Trump forged tax documents. Trump claimed on his tax returns that he lost money, but did not recognize it in the form of canceled debts. He likely avoided paying 425 million dollars in taxes, says Steven M. Rosenthal, an attorney at the Tax Policy Center. Rosenthal claims he "borrowed other people's money and spent it in spectacular fashion." Trump might have performed a stock-for-debt swap. This would have allowed Trump to avoid paying income taxes for at least 18 years. An audit of Trump's tax returns for 2002 through 2008 was "closed administratively by agreement with the I.R.S. without assessment or payment, on a net basis, of any deficiency." Tax attorneys believe the government may have reduced what Trump was able to claim as a loss without requiring him to pay any additional taxes.[223][224]It is unknown whether the I.R.S. challenged Trump's use of the swaps because he has not released his tax returns. Trump's lawyers advised against Trump using the equity for debt swap, as they believed it to be potentially illegal.[225]Marc Kasowitz, name partner of the Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman firm, wrote a letter threatening The New York Times over publication of the 1995 documents. Kasowitz's action drew attention to the fact that the biglaw firm had done extensive legal work for Donald Trump and his businesses since at least 2001 including also bankrupt casino restructuring.[226]In early 2017, firm member and former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman introduced Pres.-elect Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension committee.[227]Destruction of documents[edit]In June 2016, a USA Today article reported that Donald Trump and his companies have been deleting emails and other documents on a large scale,[228]including evidence in lawsuits, sometimes in defiance of court orders and under subpoena since as early as 1973.[229][230][231]In October 2016, Kurt Eichenwald published new research findings in Newsweek. The findings were first published by Paul Singer[232]on June 13, 2016[233]and gained larger attention[234][235]after a new report in Newsweek on October 31, 2016. According to Newsweek, Trump and his companies "hid or destroyed thousands of documents" involving several court cases from as early as 1973."Over the course of decades, Donald Trump's companies have systematically destroyed or hidden thousands of emails, digital records and paper documents demanded in official proceedings, often in defiance of court orders.... In each instance, Trump and entities he controlled also erected numerous hurdles that made lawsuits drag on for years, forcing courtroom opponents to spend huge sums of money in legal fees as they struggled—sometimes in vain—to obtain records."— Kurt Eichenwald, Donald Trump's Companies Destroyed Emails in Defiance of Court Orders Newsweek, October 31, 2016In 1973 Trump, his father and their company were in court for civil charges for refusing to rent apartments to African Americans. After their lawyers had delayed court requests for documents for several months, Trump, then being under subpoena, said his company had destroyed corporate records of the past six months "for saving space". In a court case beginning in 2005 against Power Plant Entertainment, LLC, an affiliate of real estate developer Cordish Cos., it was revealed that Trump's companies had deleted the data requested by court.[236]Cordish Cos. had built two American Indian[237]casinos in Florida under the Hard Rock brand and Donald Trump accused them of cheating him out of that deal. Nonetheless, Trump's lawyers had refused to instruct workers to keep all records related to the case during litigation.[229]Trump had established a procedure to delete all data from their employees' computers every year at least since 2003,[234]despite knowing at least since 2001 that he might want to file a lawsuit. Even after the lawsuit was filed, Trump Hotelsdisposed of a computer of a key witness without having made a backup of the data. A former general counsel of the Trump casino unit confirmed that all data were deleted from nearly all companies' computers annually. Trump and his lawyers claimed they were not keeping records and digital data although it was revealed that Trump had launched his own high-speed internet provider in 1998 and an IBM Domino server had been installed for emails and digital files in 1999.[229][235]

This is sheopur fortress in kuno forest, the flowing river shining in evening sunshine is a tributary of chamabal, the Kuno river. The major water source for the flora and fauna of the landscape and it bifurcates the National park near symmetrically into equal halves called Kuno east division and west division.It is not a sanctuary now but a national Park with 413 km2 core area and surrounding 530 km2+ buffer area. It is pristine natural reserve because it protects wildlife with limited human activity. It is part of the Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion. An area of 344.686 km2 (133.084 sq mi) was set aside as a wildlife sanctuary in 1981. Since then this has been elevated to the Kuno Wildlife Division with an 900 km2 (350 sq mi) as a buffer area around the sanctuary. With the total of 1200 km2+ as protected area.Feral zebu cattle roam the sanctuary, left behind by the relocated Saharia tribal herders. The cattle are also intended to serve as prey for Asiatic lions.The National park is home to many flora, avain wildlife and faunal species including:Indian wolf,Rhesus macaque,Gray langur a good prey to carnivores like lions and tigers with body mass up to 30 kg,Indian leopard,Nilgai one of the biggest antelope of Asia and biggest of India can weight 280+ kg,Royal Bengal tiger,The feral Zebu cattle (derived most undisturbed without low inter breeding history from extinct by domestication Indian Aurochs which is the ancestral genus for all cattle around the world) left by sahariya tribe during relocation of 24 villages. A good prey for reintroduced lions.Chital,Indian boar,Sambar deer biggest deer species of Asia, stags weigh 300+ kg,Chinkara/Indian Gazelle,Four-horned antelope,Blackbuck,Though Dhole/Indian Wild Dog is not spotted but may occur rarely,Indian peafowl/Blue peafowl,Gharial highly critically endangered,Grey francolin a prey for caracal,Caracal,Painted spurfowl,Ruddy shelduck,Golden jackalBeyond the river lay a dense jungle of Anogeissus pendula-Acacia catechu- Ziziphus mauritiana and other miscellaneous species of the Central Indian dry forest. Kuno was in relation to a meeting about the reintroduction of lions as per the order given by the Supreme Court in April 2013, which said that the lions should be translocated from Gir to Kuno in October 2013. The meeting on 18th and 19th December 2016 was attended by officials from the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change, Madhya Pradesh, the Gujarat Forest Departments and key conservationists like M.K Ranjitsinh. After the meeting all the other members left and Dr. A.J.T.Johnsingh, Nature Conservation Foundation, WWF-India and Corbett Foundation stayed a day longer to get a better understanding of Kuno, as he was visiting the sanctuary after 12 years.The main purpose of our visit was to observe the recovery of vegetation and wild ungulate prey after the villages had been relocated. This was my fifth visit to Kuno and all my earlier visits had taken place while I was serving in the Wildlife Institute of India. In three days I was driven close to 100 km and I found that the recovery of the vegetation including the grasslands was impressive. A team from the Wildlife Institute of India under the guidance of Y.V. Jhala has quantified wild ungulate abundance in Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary , and according to their 2016 report , the chital density was 69 animals/sq.km, nilgai 9/sq.km and sambar 8/sq.km. Sightings of chital and nilgai were impressive. Jackal was once a very common predator throughout India but it has disappeared from most places, most likely because of diseases transmitted by free-ranging dogs. It was frequently seen in Kuno. It is very likely that the fruiting Zizyphus mauritiana, eaten by all animals including dholes and elephants, may have led to this frequent sighting. All the members, including those from the Gujarat Forest Department, were impressed by the excellent vegetation, chital, nilgai and feral cattle abundance. Wild pigs were also seen.Just before the meeting on the 18th, certain leaders of the local people met the committee members and pleaded with them to bring the lions as early as possible. Their rightful contention was that nearly 1500 families living in the 345 sq km sanctuary made the great sacrifice of leaving the forest in late 1990s and early 2000 so as to make the habitat disturbance-free, which is vital for reviving the habitat essential to bring the lions. They said that any further delay in bringing the lions would make their sacrifice a mockery and meaningless.Surprisingly, I had very few sightings of sambar - only four animals were seen. Calls were frequently heard in the hills as sambar are largely animals of the hills. We were in the peak rutting season (November to March) of sambar. Sambar stags shed the velvet antlers before getting into the hard antler, a must for fighting with other males during the rut to have access to females. In the process of shedding the velvet, they rub the antlers against the trunk of the trees with soft bark and thrash the saplings. The abundance of rubbing and thrashing signs in the rutting season can be an index of sambar abundance. I saw only two rubbing signs. Dholes, which efficiently prey on sambar, are absent in Kuno and therefore one can expect a high density of sambar in Kuno as in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, but it was surprising that many sambar were not seen.The most conspicuous feature of the Kuno landscape is the abundance of feral cattle, which live in the forest and do not go to the village. There were 2000-2500 cattle and they were all exceedingly healthy. There was a preponderance of bulls; cows were also present but not many calves. The staff opined that leopards preyed on the calves as soon as they were born. When the lions are introduced, the cattle will contribute significantly to their diet.As I drove around, I understood that the ability of Kuno to support a high density of ungulates was due to the abundance of short grass species and of the extremely palatable tall grass, Apluda mutica. Prominent browse and fruiting species were Acacia leucophloea, A. catechu, Aegle marmelos, A. pendula, A. latifolia (occurrence of the last two species in Kuno could be a unique feature of the vegetation) and Balanites aegyptiaca. I also observed that certain species need to be removed from the habitat, and prominent among them are Prosopis juliflora (for firewood by the staff; only this species should be used, not the slow growing and much more valuable A. catechu), the strong smelling Vitex negundo, and Z. numularia (this species can be easily differentiated from the much more valuable Z. mauritiana by its stunted growth, serrated margin of the leaves and yellowish colour). Grewia flavescens (have seen goats feeding on them in Sariska Tiger Reserve) is another species that needs to be controlled. Opuntia dillenii, an exotic but naturalized in some of the drier tracts of India, can be a threat to the habitat if not controlled now.Before leaving Kuno, one day I spent three hours from 0900 to 1200 hrs sitting on the ground in Marithalai waterhole. An Acacia arabica tree with three stems and a rank growth of Achyranthes aspera in front gave me sufficient cover to remain hidden. My hope was to see a caracal or a leopard or a sambar coming to the water. Some tree pies and jungle crows stayed around the water hole. Initially there was no breeze and 12 chital stags came, in groups of seven and five, and without either seeing or smelling me they drank water and went away. Two wild pigs came, but by this time the breeze was blowing from my direction towards them and therefore they smelt me, with great agitation drank water and ran away from the place. Interestingly, a peacock from the other end of the waterhole, nearly 40 m away, and two grey francolins, some 20 m from me, spotted me, gave their characteristic alarm calls and ran away from the place.On the 21st, I drove out of Kuno, crossing the eastern part of the Sanctuary. This gave me an opportunity to view the agriculture fields of the people who were settled out of Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary. All the fields were blooming golden with the flowers of mustard crop. When they were settled nearly 15 years ago , while ploughing they found the fields full of stones which they painstakingly collected and have meticulously made use of to build walls around their fields. As I drove, I noticed an enormous collection of firewood by the people living in the fringe areas from the buffer forests of Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary. I wished that there should be a program for the people to grow firewood along the roads and the boundary of forests so as to reduce their growing dependency on the buffer forests.The people of Gujarat are extremely attached to the lions and they consider it the pride of Gujarat. In the lion landscape outside the 1500 http://sq.km Gir protected area, if a pregnant lioness choses a place in anagricultural field, say a patch of a sugar cane field for giving birth, the people consider it as a daughter or a daughter- in- law coming home to give birth. The patch of sugar cane is not disturbed till the cubs grow and are strong enough to move away from that area following the mother. Now, with large-heartedness, the people of Gujarat should agree to send a small portion of their lion family, may be about ten animals, to establish a second home in Kuno National Park, which has the potential to be as large as 740 http://sq.km with the resettling of Bagcha village. The Kuno Wildlife Division is 1235 http://sq.km.This new population can significantly improve wildlife tourism in the Kuno landscape, bringing in enormous benefits to the people of the area who have done an enormous sacrifice of moving out of the forest area to give a home to the lions. This second home will provide additional security to the lions from virulent diseases like canine distemper. One should remember that in the early 1990s canine distemper killed nearly 1000 lions out of a population of about 3000 in the 30,000 http://sq.km Serengeti ecosystem. The hard work put in by several dedicated forest officers of Madhya Pradesh to prepare Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary to receive lions would also be amply rewarded.There are plans to send the staff of Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary to Gir landscape to learn about lion management. Likewise there should to be a program to send selected village leaders from Kuno landscape to Gir landscape to learn from the local people about living with lions. The day may not be far when on a cold winter night one sitting near the fire place before Palpur forest rest house would be able to listen to both the roaring of the lions and the sawing sound of leopards in the same night.Acknowledgement: Thanks are recorded to Madhavi Sethupathi for reading through the article.Tall grasses give cover to fawns and predators but need to be managed by cool season burning so as to promote the new growth of grass rich in protein. Grasslands in dry habitats should not be burnt annually; therefore, fire in Kuno which is in a dry landscape should be used sparingly, with the careful selection of the area and time. Heteropogon contortus is a short grass which needs to be burnt before it becomes mature as its arrow-like seeds are capable of injuring the tongue and eyes of even wild animals.It is created to ensure the survival of Cheetahs and Last Asiatic lions of the world along with other sites in various parts of central and west India but delayed due to greedy desire of Gujarat govt monopoly on lions tourism revenue income and BJP dominant politics over NDA/Congress govt started central scheme/project i.e.., Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project and Cheetah reintroduction Project.Asiatic cheetah reintroduction:Currently, wildlife experts have shortlisted three regions which have the potential to support cheetah populations. The Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary and Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh and the Shahgarh bulge landscape in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan have been declared potentially suitable for the reintroduction of the cheetah. The Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh has the potential to hold populations of four of India's big cats; the Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, and Asiatic lion and cheetah, all four of which have co-existed in the same habitats historically for many years, before they were wiped out due to overhunting and habitat destruction. Since the Shahgarh Landscape is fenced along the Indo-Pakistani border region, the addition of more fencing will ensure adequate protection for the cheetah population. The Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary (1197km2) is part of a much larger forested landscape (5500km2 ) which can host the cheetah as well.At a future date, when sufficient population has built up, other former range habitats in India (after revitalizing them) may also be considered for reintroduction like the Banni grasslands and Desert National Park etc.A few wildlife groups have suggested the Moyar river valley in Tamil Nadu's Satyamangalam FD, part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve as it is a pristine forest with flourishing population of prey and a good record of conservation. Frederick Augustus Nicholson, the then British Collector has reported to have shot a few individuals near Kothamangalam, Velamundi and Bolampatti (all in NBR). This region is on the leeward side of SW monsoon.Southeast African/Namibian cheetah reintroduction:The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) has, for a long time, been theoretically classified as a sub-species of the cheetah with the suffix "venaticus" applied at the end of its scientific binomial name Acinonyx jubatus. However, at a cheetah reintroduction workshop organised in India on 9 September 2009, Stephen J. O'Brien from Laboratory of Genomic Diversity of National Cancer Institute of the US who has in the past conducted numerous prestigious genetic studies - including those on Asiatic lions - said that according to the latest modern genetic studies, it was discovered that the Asiatic cheetah was, in fact, genetically identical to the African cheetah with which it had separated only about 5000 years ago. This was not enough time for a sub-species level differentiation; O'Brien said that in comparison the Asian and African lion subspecies were separated some 100,000 years ago, as was the African and Asian leopard subspecies 169,000 years ago. Cheetah expert Laurie Marker of the Cheetah Conservation Fund and other wildlife experts advised the Indian Government that for reintroduction purposes India should source the cheetah from Africa where they were much more numerous instead of trying to have some removed from the critically endangered low population of about 70 to 110 or so Asiatic cheetahs left in Iran.India's Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh, chief wildlife wardens of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, officials of the environment ministry, cheetah experts from across the globe including Laurie Marker from Cheetah Conservation Fund, representatives from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) including Yadvendradev Jhala, and IUCN, an international conservation NGO, among others, participated in a meeting about this issue.Subsequently, in 2011, a much more detailed five-year genetic study involving gathering of DNA samples from the wild, zoos and museums in eight countries was published in Molecular Ecology (Journal) on 8 January 2011. This newer study concluded that African and Asiatic cheetahs were in reality genetically very distinct and had in fact separated 32,000 to 67,000 years ago. Sub-species level differentiation had taken place due to longer separation from the African population.The effect of this latest revelation on India's plan to reintroduce cheetahs to the country was left unknown.Introduction of South African/Namibian cheetah:As the world's last Asiatic cheetah population in Iran is currently classified as critically endangered, with an estimated total of below 100, the cheetah experts felt that it would not be conducive to disturb it. India is therefore exploring an alternate plan of importing the South African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) from some African countries, such as in Namibia, where they are in greater abundance, with a view to breeding them in captivity, and then setting them free in protected, semi-arid habitats in India.Since the Asiatic cheetah became extinct in India about half a century ago, suggestions to reestablish the cheetah in India have been ongoing.For this purpose a meeting of International cheetah experts was organized in Gajner, near Bikaner in the Indian state of Rajasthan during September 2009. As per the discussions held at the meeting cheetah experts from around the world favored importing South African cheetahs for the proposed reintroduction in India as against getting them from the world's last remnant population of the Asiatic cheetah, which is also called "Iranian cheetah," since it survives in Iran, where it is currently critically endangered, with the entire population estimated to be below 100.International experts including Laurie Marker of Cheetah Conservation Fund, credited with developing cheetah conservation programmes in a number of countries, including Iran, argues that the world's last Asiatic cheetah population in Iran is abysmally low to spare any individuals for reintroduction efforts in India. Stephen J O'Brien, world's leading conservation geneticist and Chief of the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity at the National Cancer Institute, United States, has clarified that there is no significant genetic difference between the African and the Iran's Asiatic cheetah, as per genetic research carried out by him African and Indian cheetahs were only separated just some 5,000 years ago which is not enough for a sub-species level differentiation. "African and Asian cheetahs are similar in nature and have same genetic make-up. So India can have the animal from South Africa if it is not getting from Iran (which has already refused to part with its Asian cheetah)," noted the cheetah genetic expert Stephen J O Brien. At the meeting experts also identified South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania and UAE as countries from where the cheetah could be imported for India. "About 5 to 10 animals annually have to be brought to India over a period of 5 to 10 years," recommended another working group, which was formed for exploring sourcing and translocation of the cheetah.The Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India has approved the recommendation for a detailed survey of potential reintroduction sites in the four Indian states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, shortlisted during the consultative meeting. Three more Indian states Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra are being also considered. This survey will form the basis for the roadmap of reintroduction of cheetah in India, and will be carried out by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).Current statusThe Ministry of forests and environment of India is now hammering out the details of the cheetah conservation plan. As a first step, a two-day seminar of technical experts on cheetahs was held in Gajner from 9 September 2009. Experts on cheetah, including Divyabhanusinh Chavda and M K Ranjitsinh presented their papers on how to go about bringing cheetahs to India.The initial plans were to bring the cheetahs to Gajner Wildlife Sanctuary. "We want to set up a breeding ground for the cheetahs and Gajner seems to fit the bill perfectly. Thereafter, they will be transported to various states," he added.India is also in talks with the Islamic Republic of Iran over the possibility of sending a pair of Asiatic cheetahs to India. The Iranian embassy in Delhi said that its government was in the process of "arranging" talks.The Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said that African cheetahs could be brought to India within three years having just returned from a trip to South Africa, one of the potential source-habitats of cheetahs to be moved to India.The Wildlife Institute of India is spearheading the project, and will unveil a road map and destination for the African cheetahs – possible options are in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat – by the end of May.Kuno Palpur and Nauradehi Sancturies in Madhya Pradesh and Shahgarh landscape in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan have been selected in by the Wildlife Institute of India as most suitable sites for the reintroduction project.Plans on holdAs of May 2012 the Indian Supreme Court has put the project of importing cheetahs from Africa and reintroducing them in India on hold. Some Conservationists have been fighting a legal battle in Indian Supreme Court to get the Indian State Government of Gujarat to break its monopolizing of wild Asiatic lions and release a few overpopulated prides of lions spilling out of Gir National Park for reintroduction in the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in the neighbouring Indian State of Madhya Pradesh which was prepared for them after relocating over 24 villages out of the forest. In the past, for last two decades the State Government of Gujarat had concocted every possible reason to maintain its monopoly on wild Asiatic lions and the tourism revenue generated by them and of recent Gujarat's legal council had put forward the argument that Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary is being used for the introduction of African cheetah which might take several years to fully settle down and repopulate the area and hence reintroduction of lions should only be done after that, this scared the conservationists that Gujarat will use this pretext to delay the reintroduction of native lions by many more decades using the cheetah argument. Indian Supreme court has taken note of the arguments put forth by some Indian conservationists that importing African cheetah for reintroduction in India is misguided as it is against the International Union for Conservation of Nature's reintroduction guidelines and no clearance had been sought from India's National Board for Wildlife. The Indian Supreme Court has put the project on hold till further notice asking for clearance from India's National Board for Wildlife, meantime it has fast tracked the case for the re-introduction of lions to Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary and is hearing it every Monday.Senior advocate PS Narasimha, court-appointed adviser and the amicus curiae in the Asiatic lion's relocation case in India's Supreme Court, filed an application seeking a stay on the implementation of African cheetah reintroduction project in India. The Indian Supreme court granted the stay and the matter has been scheduled for further hearing in July 2012 after the court returns from vacation. During its hearings, the Bench was informed that India's Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has decided to introduce the South African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) from Namibia into Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, the same proposed habitat being developed as the second home for the translocation of lions from Gir Wildlife Sanctuary in the neighbouring Indian state of Gujarat which did not want to shift any lions out of the state. Narasimha said the proposal for reintroduction of African cheetah "has not been either placed before the Standing Committee of India's National Board for Wildlife, nor has there been a considered decision taken in this regard". He stated in an application that "scientific studies show that the African Cheetahs and Asian Cheetahs are completely different, both genetically and also in their characteristics" and the reintroduction of African cheetah in India was also against the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines on translocation of wildlife species. "In fact, the (IUCN) guidelines categorically warn against the introduction of alien or exotic species. The African Cheetah obviously never existed in India. Therefore, it is not case of intentional movement of an organism into a part of its native range," the application stated. Asiatic cheetah became extinct in India in the 1950s, In the past, India's last recorded cheetah in the wild was said to have been shot in the Rewa area of Madhya Pradesh in the late 1940s. It was mentioned that the introduction of alien or exotic species is universally shunned by wildlife experts and "in fact countries such as South Africa, Australia are spending huge amount of funds to eradicate and remove exotic wildlife species from wilderness areas or wild habitats". Narasimha also sought a direction of India's Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to produce before the apex court all relevant records and decisions relating to introduction of cheetah. He said the Indian cheetah in genetic composition is a different animal than the African cheetah and a different sub species altogether and "therefore one cannot be introduced in place of the other". Conservationists say fewer than 100 of the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah subspecies remain only in Iran, roaming the central deserts. The vast majority of the 7,100 cheetahs left in the world are in Africa.Kuno Sanctuary became National Park, open tourism and Daily employment opportunities.Empower committee will visit KunoPreparation of necessary resources will startIn 2003, Kuno Sanctuary was ready to receive its first batch of lions. Now, again it is ready for the expansion of Asian lions, is a national park now. In the meeting with forest department officers headed by new Chief Minister Kamal Nath, a decision has been taken to make Kuno National Park. On getting the status of National Park to the Kuno Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary, as soon as the Shopur District falls on the world tourism map. Tourism and daily job or employment will start to grow and develop in the district.Simultaneously, shifting Lions from Gujarat's Gir Sanctuary will be discussed soon with the Central Government, after which the Empower Committee will be visiting Kuno. In order to make Kuno National Park was added to adjacent Shivpuri district, with an increment of 413 sq. Km area to make it eligible for National Park status. For this action, de-notification of the Son Chiraya Sanctuary of Shivpuri district had already started.The biggest condition set by Gujarat government was to extend the area of Kuno Palpur Sanctuary for translocation of Asiatic Lions and the area of sanctuary is increased another 413 sq km then, Gujarat demand fulfilled. Before, Kuno Palpur Sanctuary is spread over 345 sq km of area and now another 413 sq km area is added into it.The condition has been laid: In order to give Asian lions, the Gujarat government had laid the condition to increase the area of Kuno and giving it the status of National Park. Works and attempts were done on the scheme of transfer the Asian Lions to the Kuno Sanctuary Project since 1993. The displacement of 24 villages has been done under this project of spending about 900 crore of Sate government and Central govt. But the Gujarat government has been playing flaws in giving lacs to translocate lions. In January 2017, the Empower Committee had inspected kuno and suggested it to increase its area and said that it is the most favorable habitat for the lions.He said at present Asiatic lions is only in Gir National Park of Gujarat. In year 1991, proposal came up to translocate few Asiatic lions in Madhya Pradesh to save the endangered species from extinction. Madhya Pradesh Government selected Kuno Palpur area for the project and started preparing the jungles of Kuno Palpur sanctuary. In year 2003, state government staked claim for translocation of Asiatic Lions from Gujarat by saying that Kuno Palpur sanctuary is ready in this regard. However, Gujarat Government had certain objections over the issue and still issue pertaining to translocation of Asiatic lions which is in doldrums.Movements has been done: 72 agitations, protests and movements have been organized since 2008 for shifting Asian lions in Kuno Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh. Apart from the demonstration of the "Babbar sher Bassao Sangharsha" committee protest against the State and Central Government from the district headquarters which was held at Tikoli, the entrance of the Kuno, but the Gujarat government is still in indispensable attitude. Atul Chauhan, President of the Sangharsh Samiti, welcomed Kamal Nath's decision on granting the status of National park to the Sanctuary. Chauhan, president of the Sangharsh Samiti, says that this is the only oppurtunity in case of development and this is the only ray of hope or chance for the Sheopur district which is the most backward districts of the state because the situation of employment sources, industrial development and transport facilities is pathetic here in geographically.The notification was published on December 14, minutes after Congress announced Kamal Nath as the new chief minister of the state. If everything goes right then there will be a final structure designed to bring lions by the next new year's January month and by February a smooth pavement to transfer will be implemented and second phase of the Project-Shifting of healthy lions will be started. Shivraj never spoke on this issue publicly considering Modi’s possessiveness over Gir Lions.State government has declared Kuno National Park with inclusion of an area spread along 404.0758 sq km area in addition to the earlier notified area of 344.686 sq km making a total of 748.7618 sq km area and the state government got orders to implement translocation.The case here is still stuckDespite the proposal to de-notify the 202 sq km area of Karera Wildlife Sanctuary under district Shivpuri and 80 sq km of area of Ghatigaon Sonchidiya/Sonchiraiya Sanctuary under Gwalior, it is still yet to be implemeted.After de notification of both the areas, Government "would add them into Kuno Palpur" in Ghatigaon area and the Forest Department had sent proposal to the government to de-notify/decrypt the 25 villages in the Ghatigaon region, these proposals have already been approved by the government, but the permission from State Wildlife Board and Central Wildlife Board is yet to be received. After this permission, the diagnosis will be implemented.The state declared 748.7618 sq km area within more than 1200 sq km Kuno wildlife division (inside 3300 sq km Kuno forested Landscape) as a protected area to resolve the issue. Gujarat government had moved a curative petition in Supreme Court as its last legal resort to retain its Asiatic lions. While MP won the eight-year-long legal battle with Gujarat in 2013, the latter had been dilly-dallying compliance. Nath met officials later and promised to take up the matter towards a logical conclusion. MP government circles had gone to the extent of suggesting that they were not averse to retaining the tag of ‘Gir' or ‘Gujarat' to identify the relocated lions at their new home in Kuno-Palpur.Since when the process is going on?In 1996, work on planning to shift lions began.Project was prepared in 2003.Gujarat had expressed its inability to give the lions to the lions.During the inspection, the committee talked of giving the status of National Park along with increasing the area of the sanctuary.The Forest Department initiated action for denotification of 202 sq. Km of land of Son Chiraiah and Kerera Sanctuary.In January 2017, the Empowers Committee inspected the Kuno Sanctuary.what will happen now?After getting the national status, the Empower Committee will come again to visit Kuno.After getting the green flag of the committee, the arrival of lions will start.A decision has been made to make Kuno/Koono a national park, on Saturday the government issued its notification. The Gujarat government is not ready to give lions right now. Our process is continuing. Proposal for denotification of entire area of Karera Sanctuary has to be sent to the Supreme Court soon.Shahbaz Ahmed, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) BhopalThe expert committee had visited Kuno in December 2017. After visiting the sanctuary, the panel members had found the atmosphere in Kuno-Palpur suitable for shifting of lions. Gujarat, too, could not question much on MP’s preparedness to host the lions, sources said.Planning of Corridor: With the approval of the Kuno National Park status, it is planned to build corridor by combining Ranthambore Tiger Reserve's Ranthambore National Park-Shivpuri National Park-Sawai Madhopur to improve gene flow of WITL and maintain meta populations. Tourists from all over the world come to Sawai Madhopur to see the tiger right now. At present, the tourism industry and employment turnover of Sawai Madhopur is one and a half thousand crores annually. The Bengal tiger found here is also living in more than 50 sanctuaries of the country. Whereas the Asiatic Lion is only in Gir Sanctuary and can be seen in Kuno Sanctuary soon.Wildlife Institute of India researchers confirmed that the Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary is the most promising location to re-establish a free ranging Asiatic lion population. In 2007, the protected area was ready to receive a first batch of lions from Gir Wildlife Sanctuary. where the population is too big. There are large scale deaths in the population annually because of ever increasing competition due to animal overcrowding. Asiatic lion prides require large territories but there is limited space at Gir wildlife sanctuary, which is boxed in on all sides by heavy human habitation.The Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary was selected as the reintroduction site for the endangered Asiatic lion because it is in the former range of the lions before it was hunted into extinction in about 1873.It was selected following stringent international criteria and internationally accepted requirements and guidelines developed by the IUCN/SSC Reintroduction Specialist Group and IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group which are followed before any reintroduction attempt anywhere in the world.Currently the Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project is underway. The lions are to be reintroduced from Gir Wildlife Sanctuary in the neighboring Indian state of Gujarat where they are currently overpopulated. This has involved the displacement of twenty four villages of the Sahariya tribe, which had lived in the remote core area set aside for the reintroduction of the Asiatic lions, who agreed to move out.Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary acts as a buffer zone or corridor for tigers from Ranthambore National Park to Madhav National Park and from other tiger reserves will help the gene pool of Western Indian Tiger Landscape (WITL) by maintaining meta populations to overcome inbreeding. Usually sub-adult male tigers who cannot establish a territory of their own after being driven out by dominant male tigers reside in buffer areas. Currently a tiger named T-38 and recently another young male from Ranthambore is said to be residing in Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary. Currently, 6–9 tigers are sighted infrequently. Ranthambore is 120 km away from Kuno connected by small forest patches, thin degraded and fragmented surrounded by human habitations. On 22 April 2015, the Union government has admitted that Madhya Pradesh will have to enlarge the wildlife sanctuary's size in order to translocate Asiatic lions to Palpur-Kuno from Gujarat's Sasan Gir, which is the first time the government accepted the sanctuary needs to be enlarged. However, that would require relocating several big villages.As the state government of Gujarat was refusing to relocate the Asiatic lions to the sanctuary, this ensued a long battle. Finally on 18 April 2013, the Supreme Court of India gave a verdict that asked the Gujarat government to complete the translocation of the Asiatic lion within six months.As of now, Madhya Pradesh still has not received lions from Gujarat. For this reason, it was considered to turn Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary into a protected area for tigers instead, by bringing in tigers from other parts of Madhya Pradesh.In October 2018, a number of lions were found dead in Gujarat. 4 of them were found to have died from canine distemper virus, the same virus which had earlier killed many East African lions in the Serengeti ecoregion, and which prompted the concern that an epidemic could threaten the Asiatic lion's survival.Between 1996 and 2002, 24 Sahariya tribal villages (at least 1,400 families) were relocated on the outskirts of the sanctuary, around the Agraa village.The kuno is best habitat in the world for lions with no conflicts and recently , Kuno-Palpur Sanctuary area was extended by 413 sq km.Biggest barrier of bringing Asiatic lions in Kuno Palpur Sanctuary (758 km2) of Madhya Pradesh is almost to end as the Madhya Pradesh Government is released notification for extending limits of the area of sanctuary by 413 sq kilo meter. After extending the limits of Kuno Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary, it got status of National Park.Moreover, as its area is increased, it fulfilled also the condition of Gujarat government for translocation of its (not it’s, they belong to world, country in particular, they are not someone’s pets or property acc to Indian constitution) world-famous Asiatic lions.Total Kuno wildlife division under protection is 1200 sq km of the total 3300 sq km Kuno forested landscape.Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project - WikipediaMadhya Pradesh: Kuno notified as national park, path clear for Gir lions - Times of India?https://www.bhaskar.com/mp/gwalior/news/...19754.htmlIt was proposal sent by wildlife wing of Forest Department sees the day light then Kuno Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary. The proposal sent by Wildlife Wing envisages extension of sanctuary by another 413 square kilometers.Now after extension of this area, Kuno Palpur National Park, which has been developed for translocation of Asiatic Lion, will spread over 1,288 sq km of area more than gir with additional 2300 km2 area for growing population of lions as buffer in the landscape. If contiguous Ranthambore and keladevi are reckoned then, it has mind frying 6800 km2 of area as lion habitat.The proposal to de-notify the 202 sq km area of Karera Wildlife Sanctuary under district Shivpuri and 80 sq km of area of Ghatigaon Sonchidiya Sanctuary under Gwalior are under way to get finished soon too.After de notification of both areas, Government would add them into Kuno Palpur Sanctuary. Karera Wildlife Sanctuary was established in year 1981 to protect the population of Great Indian Bustard in the area. Now the area is being notified by Government due to protest by the local people and extinction of the Great Indian Bustard bird locally.“Sanctuary has been developed for translocation of Asiatic lion project which is pending from over the years,” said Alok Kumar, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (APCCF).India is the part of Gondwanaland landmass of pangea and eventually joined Eurasian plate during continental drift i.e.., tectonic plate movements. Indian plate at during drifting has one of the highest speeds of any other plate up to 16cm/year towards north. It is part of Madagascar and Africa tens of million years ago. So the soil has similar minerals, alluvial deposits etc…, flora and fauna. primarily, the habitats of India at that time are grasslands like other gondwana like Australia, Africa etc.., and other arid habitats. After collision, geography changed and newly evolved angiospermic dense forests called jungles from south east Asia conquered North West, west and most of Central and South India. Remaining west India is conquered by expanding desert ecosystems from west Asia/Arabian peninsula. As the former grasslands are drastically replaced by other habitats, grasslands become less in India in comparison and now they are critically endangered ecosystems in India as they are least concerned and most of them are labelled as revenue lands and humans favor open grassland areas we evolved from there combined with replacement from other ecosystems.But still some places in India have grassland environments like in states of Gujju, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, MP, UP, Haryana, Punjab and middle of Deccan peninsula. In north east India those are replaced by flood plains which is tiger environment. hence not suitable for reintroduction of grassland species like lion, cheetah and GIB etc..,All last strongholds mentioned in the last post marked on satellite image of Indian subcontinent.Prime habitats on IndoGangetic plain already gone.Asiatic lion last strongholds in India map.Kuno is one of the best in the world and the best in country. 1000*better than Gir. You can see why…Kuno is more grasslands than deciduos forest when compared to palpur. You can see how Kuno resembles African savanna with open plains, grasslands, thorny and scrublands.Filthy foul play & drama of Gujarat and BJP aka Modi sab in Asiatic Lion Conservation and Reintroduction ProjectGujarat (Porbandar) is the place where the greatest soul ever to walk on earth born mahatma but it is the same place where the dirtiest (BJP) politicians ruling, corrupting for money. The place where the greatest soul mahatma ever walked on earth born. These corrupted, cruel and money greedy people are ruling. They are killing lions. Misusing funds, torturing people etc..,ruled by some of the darkest and shameless politicians on the planet and these people are assured by the great iconic, so called Prime minister Narendra Modi ji sab.ScrollGujarat readies Barda Dungar as second abode for its lions - Times of India (wtf!!!?) but ‘Barda Dungar within reach of outbreak’ - Times of IndiaUnclaimed kingdomPride and prejudice: Why have reports on Gir lion deaths been pulled from ICMR site?India wants to reintroduce cheetahs, even as it is failing its lionsReports on Gir lion deaths taken off medical site?Gir lions continue to be tested for Canine Distemper Virus symptomsThey don’t have mercy even don’t leave animals like extincting lions and try to make a brand and monopoly of commercialize and cash them for tourism money deceiving people around world that the lion is pride of Gujarat or Asmita instead of pride of India.They conserve lions only to make money and they die for tourism income by caging them in place called without giving them freedom to disperse to other parts of India, and making them to infight and compete in small area called gir.CDV (Canine distemper) viral infection which transmits via aerosol/air borne, body fluid contagious from dogs, canids and feliforms due to interaction as expected (WHICH KILLED 1000 East African lions in 30,000 km2 Serengeti eco region and Ngorongoro crater of Tanzania!!!!Ridiculously low area of 1412 km2 official area of 5 protected area GCA (gir conservation area) for 600–700 lions (Some say even 1000) living in 30,000km2 across Gujarat covering 9 dist which reached about 10 times carrying capacity with 56% population outside GCA, in 2000+ villages, farm fields, cotton mills, urban areas, roads, cities, forest patches of Saurashtra sometimes reaching up to state borders.Inbreeding like cloning from 12–20 lions founder stock since 200 years from Nawab of Junagadh’s time in gir sanctuary named zoo during which 2nd bottle neck effect occurred along with founder’s effect, genetic depression, 1st bottle neck happened during early/start of this Holocene epoch.high mortality, low immunity, high disease susceptibility,natural disaster/phenomenon, All eggs in one basket,Epidemics/endemic outbreak like CDV as said earlier that Serengeti Tanzania 1990, 1/3 rd i.e.., 1000 of 3000 lion population killed, CDV appeared in Gir twice once in 2018 and this year is killing many lions.Infighting, competition for resources and territories with not only lions and also overwhelming 500+ leopards and territories as single lion pride home range require 140 km2 area human-animal-man conflict,low prey base, degradation by illegal mining (lime stone, sand, timber and teak etc…,),poaching like in 2007 and other cases, body parts like nails and teeth trade and hunting, lion mafia,poisoning by live bait for cattle and buffalo losses, depredation of stray or street dogs, feral cats, goat/sheep, donkeys, camels, pigs or feral hogs, and chickens and other pheasants/domesticated game birds like ducks and some human to people safety/human fatalities and agriculture and staging it as infighting and old age in news by Gujarat politics,killing their instincts of wildness with high human contact and they are most timid and least aggressive big cats of the world due to dependency on humans for food resources i.e.., live stock,exploiting natural resources of gir, doing injustice to people and wildlife, corrupting the lion funds,open well accidents, conserving lions only for the purpose of tourism income and political dominance over other parties and their schemes and projects,corruption, to become sole owner of all the lion tourism income, monopoly, greedy, brand value assured by PM modi born state,electrocution, illegal feeding of stray dogs by forest dept (or lion mafia),human interference/encroachment by tourists and people making pollution inside protected area with plastic, lion harassment like dogs by trackers,Violating SC order 2013, violated international norms like IUCN and national law for wildlife conservation i.e.., wildlife act for damn monopoly tourism income greed and made or linked it as political and public issue saying pride/Asmita/prestige and showing resistance to other national front governments like NDA or congress who initiated this vital reintroduction conservation project so that BJP can gain popularity and tourism revenue money not crossing the state boundary.Establishing lots of safari parks to make commercial money which have no conservative importance without authorized licenses from central govt,road and rail accidents rating the gir as the most hostile and torturing environment.A depiction of Lion growling giiirrr…. instead of grrrr….. to let it go from the gir to other areas like kuno and sita mata etc..,“NATURE IS THE PROPERTY OF THE NATION NOT ONE’S OR ONE PLACE’S IN PARTICULAR AND EVERYONE HAS RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT IT” - article of Indian constitutionICMR rings alarm bells as 21 Gir lions test CDV+ve