A Virginia woman filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against President Donald Trump’s Washington, DC, hotel and the US government, seeking $1 million over an injury she claims she suffered while staying at the property.
In the complaint filed in a Washington federal court, Ellen Snow of Williamsburg, Virginia, said in February 2017 she was staying at the Trump International Hotel after making the decision to stay “because of its purported association with President Donald J. Trump.”
She followed an exit sign to leave the building and began to walk down toward the street, according to the lawsuit, where she “was caused to fall on the steps and was unable to arrest or soften her fall due to the lack of handrail.”
“There was no handrail on the first set of exterior steps leading directly from the Trump Hotel’s door,” the lawsuit said.
The complaint said because of the fall, Snow “suffered person injuries which have caused and will continue to cause physical and mental pain and suffering and other non-economic damages.” It requested a judgment of $1 million.
Located close to the White House in the Old Post Office Building, Trump’s Washington hotel has become something of a focus point during his presidency. It has been thetarget of legal efforts over Trump’s interest in the property, and has undergone scrutiny for hosting officials and executives in Washington, DC, to interact with the Trump administration.
The federal government leases the Old Post Office Building to the Trump International Hotel, and the lawsuit noted this point as it named the US a defendant alongside the Trump Hotel.
CNN has attempted to reach out to attorneys for Snow for more information about the suit, including the extent of the injuries Snow has claimed, and to the Trump Organization.
