Companies Head To Court Over Atlantic City Casino's "Trump" Signs
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia recycling company has sued an Atlantic City casino and a sign company over ownership of the signs that once adorned the Trump Taj Mahal Casino.
Recycling of Urban Materials for Profit, says two of its representatives offered to pay an Eastern Sign Tech worker $250 for two "TRUMP" signs he was removing from the Taj Mahal for disposal on Feb. 16, according to the lawsuit filed last week in Philadelphia. The worker agreed to the sale after calling a supervisor, and the representatives "paid in full," the suit says.
Trump Sign Removed From Atlantic City Casino Up For Auction On eBay
A Taj Mahal security guard approached the representatives as they were loading the letters onto the truck, according to the lawsuit. When he heard they had bought the letters, he "wished them well, expressing his personal opinion that they had gotten a bargain," the suit says.
The letters were taken to Philadelphia, where the recycling company offered one set for sale on eBay, and the bidding reached $7,500 within days, according to the suit. Ebay canceled the auction after Eastern Sign tried to repurchase the letters, claiming they were sold without permission. The Taj Mahal security guard now alleges the letters were stolen, the suit says.
It argues that the operator of the former casino abandoned ownership of the signs "by contracting for the disposal of the letters once they were removed." The recycling company is asking the court to determine the rightful owner and seeks return of the signs for fair market value, which the firm estimates at more than $100,000.
A Trump Taj Mahal Associates representative didn't immediately return a message seeking comment. Eastern Sign Tech declined to comment.
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