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Broward Sheriff seeking way out of suit(South Florida Sun-Sentinel (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jul. 29--Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne wants to get out of testifying in a lawsuit Donald Trump filed against the developers of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino near Hollywood. Trump's legal team subpoenaed Jenne last month to produce records and testify in a deposition scheduled for Wednesday. They want to ask Jenne about any business dealings he may have had with former Trump employee Richard T. Fields, as well as the other people and companies Fields worked with to develop the casinos, including The Cordish Co. of Baltimore. Among the documents Trump's attorneys want are any records relating to Jenne and any business he's worked with, including T&M Protection Resources of New York. Jenne was paid nearly $60,000 in 2003 by T&M, which was working for the Seminoles. Jenne has refused to publicly say what his private company did for T&M. State and federal investigators have been looking into Jenne's public and private business dealings for more than a year. Investigators have questioned the payments from T&M, made through Jenne's two private companies, Havloc LLC and Knodishall LLC. In court documents filed Friday, Jenne's attorney Dave Bogenschutz asked a Broward circuit judge to prevent Trump's team from taking Jenne's deposition or forcing him to turn over documents. The lawsuit is about allegations of a breach of contract between Trump's casino development company and Fields regarding the construction of the Hard Rock casino buildings, and Jenne had nothing to do with that, Bogenschutz wrote. The individuals and companies Trump is suing in Broward all say "that Jenne was never a party to the agreement, and was never involved in either the negotiations, contract, or construction of the Hard Rock nor the relationship between Trump and Fields," Bogenschutz wrote. "Any association Jenne might have had with Fields would be separate and apart from any business relationship between Trump Hotels and Fields," Bogenschutz continued. Jenne's "dealings such as they are" occurred after the events that are being disputed in the lawsuit, Bogenschutz wrote. Broward Circuit Judge Jeffrey Streitfeld previously ruled that the gathering of evidence in the case is limited to issues up to the Jan. 8, 2001, groundbreaking for the casino projects. The Seminoles hired T&M in 2001, on Fields' recommendation, to evaluate their gaming regulations in preparation for the opening of the Hard Rock, Seminole general counsel Jim Shore said. When? While Bogenschutz's court filing indicated Jenne and Fields had some dealings, Bogenschutz declined to elaborate. In 2004, Jenne reported he got $4,000 in donations from T&M, Fields and their associates for the sheriff's re-election campaign. Trump's attorney Robert Reardon could not be reached for comment. Paula McMahon can be reached at [email protected] or 954-356-4533. |