Ivanka Trump’s clothing company is getting dressed down in a big way via a new lawsuit.
The suit, filed by Modern Appealing Clothing, claims that Ivanka’s company has an unfair advantage over the competition because of her father’s ascent to the White House.
“[P]laintiff’s claims are based on unfair advantage that defendant Ivanka Trump Marks LLC has gained from Donald J. Trump being the president of the United States and from Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared working for the president of the United States,” the lawsuit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court on Thursday, reads. “The effects of that unfair advantage are magnified greatly by marketing activities of defendant Ivanka Trump’s officers and employees and the similar activities of Donald J. Trump, his family, his agents and employees and the White House staff and advisers.”
The class-action suit claims that Ivanka Trump and others have been “exploiting the power and prestige of the White House for personal gain, including but not limited to, piggy-backing promotion of defendant Ivanka Trump products on appearances at executive branch and other governmental events.”
In particular, the suit claims, Ivanka’s women’s clothing and accessory lines have been boosted by Donald Trump’s condemnation of Nordstrom and other retailers who’ve dropped his daughter’s line, as well as White House press secretary Sean Spicer “using his position to defend Ivanka Trump.”
The suit also takes exception to Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway seeming to endorse Ivanka’s products during a Feb. 9 interview with Fox News.
“As a result of their unlawful acts, defendants have reaped and continue to reap unfair benefits and illegal profits at the expense of plaintiff MAC and the class it seeks to represent,” the lawsuit reads.
Alleging unfair business practices and conspiracy, the suit is seeking unspecified damages.