Protesters suing Donald Trump and Trump Tower security guards over a nasty 2015 clash are finally getting their day in court.
A trial in the Bronx — postponed in 2019 and again in 2021 — is expected to start Monday in a lawsuit brought by five human rights activists who allege they were roughed up outside Trump Tower.
The suit — which names the 45th president, the Trump Organization and three members of Trump Tower’s security team — claims demonstrators were pushed to the ground and punched, and their signs stolen, while they protested outside the iconic Fifth Avenue building Sept. 3, 2015.
Six days after the heated confrontation, Efrain Galicia, Florencia Tejeda Perez, Gonzalo Cruz Franco, Johnny Garcia and Miguel Villalobos, originally from Mexico, filed their suit; jury selection is expected to start Monday in Bronx Supreme Court. The suit is seeking unspecified damages.
A judge ruled Trump won’t have to testify in-person; jurors will see video of his deposition.
The long-delayed case comes as a high-profile trial plays out in Manhattan Supreme Court involving a criminal case accusing the Trump Organization of tax fraud.
The stakes are considerably more fraught for Trump, who hasn’t been charged but could possibly be called to testify in the Manhattan trial. His name is also likely to be front and center while his family business is accused of helping top execs avoid income taxes on job perks.
In the Bronx trial, jurors are expected to see video testimony from Trump’s ex-lawyer and “fixer” Michael Cohen, who says he heard Trump tell staff to “get rid” of the protesters — countering Trump’s assertion that he didn’t know about the demo until a day or so later.
The activists held the protest, which drew about 40 participants, while Trump was giving a press conference about his White House run at the Fifth Avenue building.
The plaintiffs were protesting Trump’s immigration policies and his allegedly racist rhetoric. John Angelillo/UPI/ShutterstockThe protesters carried three large signs stating, “TRUMP: MAKE AMERICA RACIST AGAIN!” while they were dressed in white robes to parody the Ku Klux Klan.
One guard, Gary Uher, allegedly shoved Cruz to the ground after head of security Keith Schiller allegedly yelled “Get out of here!” and “Take that costume off!” And when Perez started recording the confrontation, guard Edward John Deck Jr. allegedly grabbed her by the wrist and threw her to the ground, the suit claimed.
Uher also tossed two of their signs on the ground while Schiller yanked a sign from Galicia, tearing it apart, they allege. As Galicia tried to take back one of the signs Schiller punched him in the head before another guard attempted to choke him, the suit claimed.
They claim the security guards punch one demonstrator, shoved two others and tore and stole their signs. Erik Pendzich/ShutterstockThe melee was caught on camera by the media there for the press conference.
The plaintiffs say they also had run-ins with Trump Tower security two other times — on Aug. 9 and July 3, 2015 — when guards told them they couldn’t protest on the public sidewalk. They claim cops told them they could stay put both times.
“Absent some 3 A.M. surprise, we have every expectation of proceeding with jury selection on Monday. It has been seven long years of litigation, but our clients will finally have an opportunity to present their case to a Bronx jury,” plaintiff lawyer Benjamin Dictor told The Post.
Lawyers for Trump and guards Schiller, Uher and Deck didn’t return requests for comment.
