05-07-2024
Former campaign communications advisor A.J. Delgado is suing Donald Trump for pregnancy discrimination. She alleges Trump campaign officials took away her job responsibilities as advisor and director of Hispanic outreach and prevented her from taking a job in the White House after sharing that she was pregnant and senior Trump campaign advisor Jason Miller was the father. Miller was married to another woman at the time.
Trump’s law firm, LaRocca, Hornik, Greenberg, Rosen, Kittridge, Carlin & McPartland (LaRocca Hornik), asked to withdraw its representation of Trump in Delgado's suit. The firm filed its motion two days after the court ordered the Trump campaign to turn over all complaints of sexual harassment and gender or pregnancy discrimination from the 2016 and 2020 campaigns as part of discovery. Trump's team had resisted disclosing that information to Delgado. LaRocca Hornik did not divulge the reasons for its request in the motion, asking to share the matter privately with the court. Delgado objected to the withdrawal, asserting it was a “scheme to avoid compliance” with the discovery order. She asked that the firm stay on until discovery is complete.
The judge did give the firm more time to provide her with a “more detailed explanation” of the “irreparable breakdown” of its relationship with the Trump campaign. She found whatever explanation the firm gave “insufficient” to grant withdrawal. To protect attorney-client privilege, Delgado will not know the contents of whatever additional information the firm provides to the court. LaRocca Hornik has represented Trump for over a decade in business and campaign matters. It is currently representing the 2016 Trump campaign in another sexual discrimination and abuse lawsuit filed by a former Hispanic outreach coordinator.