Trump Organization Sues Insurer Over Chicago River Pollution

4/18/2024

In 2018, the state of Illinois sued the Trump Organization, alleging that Trump Tower in Chicago was violating clean water laws and polluting the Chicago River. 

Now, the Trump Organization is suing its insurer, Allianz Global Risks US, alleging that it’s the insurance company’s responsibility for “pollution clean up, property damage and investigation expenses,” according to Crain’s Chicago. The lawsuit also alleges the insurance company failed to reimburse the tower’s owners and defend them in previous litigation. The Trump Organization seeks reimbursement for any potential liability under state and environmental groups’ lawsuits, along with litigation expenses. 

This is the second time the Trump Organization has tried suing an insurer over this pollution claim. In 2023, a judge ruled that a different insurance company was not responsible to defend the property in the state’s pollution lawsuit. 

In September 2023, Illinois’s attorney general Kwame Raoul amended the lawsuit against Trump Tower to strengthen the case, alleging that even after the lawsuit was originally filed in 2018, the Trump Tower operators continued with the same violations, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. 

Greg Zimmerman is senior contributing editor for FacilitiesNet.com and Building Operating Management magazine