Ivanka Trump Brand Sued For Unfair Competition

A San Francisco clothing retailer has filed a class action suit alleging that Ivanka Trump’s brand has an unfair business edge because her father, President Donald Trump, and his administration has promoted its products. A 40-year-old family-owned business with two locations, Modern Appealing Clothing, filed the suit in the Superior Court of California against Ivanka Trump Marks LLC. Ivanka has established an office in the West Wing, though she is not a federal employee, and is seeking security clearance. The daily management of Ivanka Trump Marks LLC has been handed to president Abigail Klem. Though Ivanka is working with an ethics advisor and the Office of Government Ethics, some are concerned that her formalized presence in the West Wing exacerbates the potential for conflicts of interest and invites questions as to whether the White House is serving as a platform for her personal brand. In its lawsuit, Modern Appealing Clothing cited Donald Trump’s tweet in February lashing out at Nordstrom for deciding not to carry Ivanka Trump products, as well as presidential advisor Kellyanne Conway’s quotes from a February appearance on “Fox & Friends,” where she encouraged the audience to buy Ivanka Trump products.