WASHINGTON — The owners of a restaurant in Washington, DC, are suing President Donald Trump, claiming that his eponymous hotel — which features a steakhouse, a bar, and other dining options — has an unfair and unlawful edge in the market.

The lawsuit, filed in DC Superior Court on Thursday by the owners of Cork Wine Bar, alleges that Trump's hotel not only competes for general customers, but also specifically for clients seeking to do business with and influence US government and elected officials.

"The effects of that unfair advantage are magnified greatly by marketing activities of the Hotel's officers and employees and the similar activities of defendant Trump, his family, and the White House staff and/or advisors," the lawsuit says.

Alan Garten, chief legal officer for the Trump Organization, called the suit "a wild publicity stunt completely lacking in legal merit" in an email to BuzzFeed News.

The lawsuit cites news reports about foreign diplomats patronizing the hotel and about how the hotel is now the place to be for lobbyists hoping to influence the new administration. For his first meal out in the city since becoming president, Trump in late February chose to dine at BLT Prime, the steakhouse at his hotel. He reportedly dined with his daughter Ivanka Trump, his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, and far-right British politician Nigel Farage.

"It's clear that those who are looking to influence this administration are going to look to that business first," Scott Rome, one of the lawyers who filed the suit, said at a press conference on Thursday morning announcing the case.



Cork's owners are not seeking money damages. They've instead asked the court to enter an order halting the unfair competition they say is taking place, which their lawyers say could be accomplished by the hotel and restaurants closing during Trump's tenure as president, Trump and his family fully divesting their interests in the hotel, or Trump resigning.