A lawsuit brought against Donald Trump by a model who claimed that she “felt like a slave” while working under Trump Model Management has been dismissed, according to court papers obtained by TheWrap.
Jamaican-born fashion model Alexia Palmer filed her suit against the agency in 2014, saying that she only made $3,880 plus $1,100 in cash advances during the three years she worked for the company, while the company certified on her visa application that she was a full-time worker earning $75,000 a year.
Palmer claimed that Trump Model Management deducted 80 percent of her earnings for expenses and fees. Under the terms of the visa, the suit alleged, Palmer could not work elsewhere, while the Trump agency only booked 21 shoots for her during her three-year stint.
The lawsuit began to attract attention this year, due to GOP presidential candidate Trump’s criticism of American companies using foreign workers who come to the country via the H1-B visa program.
In the dismissal filed Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres shot down Palmer’s claim that she was paid less than minimum wage, writing, “[Palmer] does not state the number of hours worked. Further, Plaintiff does not dispute Defendants’ claim that she was paid above the minimum wage.”
The judge also dismissed Palmer’s assertion that the company violated the RICO Act by lying about her wages on her application, writing that Palmer had not gone through the proper complaint procedures.
“That’s what slavery people do,” Palmer told ABC News earlier this month. “You work and don’t get no money.”
Trump attorney Alan Garten previously told ABC News that the agency’s methods are “just how the industry works, and it is fair,” adding, “there wasn’t — unfortunately — a lot of demand for” Palmer.