Nick Penzenstadler

USA TODAY

Ed Bals had a seasonal retirement job managing the locker room at the posh Jersey Shore golf course owned by Donald Trump until 2013 when the then 77-year-old was fired.

Bals and his lawyer say management unfairly canned him because of his old age, so they are suing the Trump Colts Neck club seeking restoration of his job, damages and attorney’s fees.

So, his New Jersey attorney almost fell out of his chair when his 81-year old client showed up to a meeting this week sporting a red and white "TRUMP: Make America Great Again" campaign hat.

How can he support the same man he’s suing in federal court?

“The only way I can explain it is I don’t think Mr. Trump knew what happened, because if he did, I wouldn’t have been relieved, he’s that type of person,” Bals said. “I don’t have a grudge against him.”

Although Bals says he’s not a hardcore political activist, he's supporting Trump in the presidential campaign. “I’ve voted for all sorts of people, but I feel like the other politicians have all BS’d us and have us upset,” Bals said. “I’m a traditionalist, and saw WWII, and saw what the country stood for then.”

Bals only encountered the real estate mogul a handful of times at the Colts Neck golf club. He said he admires how he pulled the young golf course out of dire financial straits after buying it in 2008, when the property was known as Shadow Island.

Bals said his role in the swanky locker room would range from handing out the Trump embroidered towels to providing shaving gear to club members. Documents from the lawsuit say the former manager received an annual bonus for exemplary performance, never missed work and never was criticized in his annual reviews.

Federal court records show the case is in the discovery phase through May, and has stretched years since its initial filing in 2014. Bals received a settlement in another age discrimination case from a previous golf course employer in 2010, court records show.

Attorneys and managers for the golf course and representatives for Trump’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment about Bals' lawsuit. Trump frequently reiterates at campaign appearances that he’s no fan of settling legal entanglements.

“I’m not a settler,” Trump told Fox News Host Chris Wallace in February. “I don't believe in settling cases. I believe in winning cases.”

Colts Neck is one of 17 golf properties Trump owns. He encountered trouble in July when the PGA of America announced it would cancel a professional event scheduled for Trump National-Los Angeles in the wake of the candidate’s controversial comments about Hispanics.

The 2016 WGC-Cadillac Championships event was recently held at Trump National Doral, near Miami, but that event may move in the future, PGA officials have indicated.

Nick Penzenstadler is based in Denver, follow him at @npenzenstadler.