What lawsuits and class actions have targeted Trump Model Management and major agencies for alleged labor and immigration abuses?
Executive summary
A wave of lawsuits and a proposed class action accused Trump Model Management and several large agencies of recruiting foreign models on visas while underpaying or charging excessive fees, alleging violations of immigration and labor laws; those claims were pressed in litigation led by Jamaican model Alexia Palmer and in a separate multi-agency putative class action, but at least one federal judge dismissed the suit against Trump Models and its officers [1] [2] [3].
1. The Palmer case: fraud, visa promises and a bid for class status
Alexia Palmer sued Trump Model Management alleging the agency induced her to come to the United States by representing in visa filings that she would earn roughly $75,000 a year while she was paid only about $3,880 over three years, and her complaint sought class-action status to represent other models who said they were misled and underpaid [2] [1].
2. Broader class action against multiple agencies: fees, rent and deductions
Independent of Palmer’s suit, nine former models filed a putative class action against six major modeling agencies claiming agencies charged exorbitant fees for rent and other expenses and effectively reduced pay through undisclosed deductions — allegations that surfaced in contemporaneous reporting and were folded into the public debate about industry practices [1].
3. Immigration-law allegations: misuse of H‑1B and tourist visas
Reporting and legal complaints alleged that Trump Model Management and other firms relied on H‑1B sponsorship or brought foreign models on tourist visas not permitting work, then paid far less than the prevailing wage listed in labor certifications — a central legal theory in the immigration-law claims lodged by Palmer and other former models [1] [4].
4. Judicial pushback: dismissal and procedural hurdles
A federal judge, Judge Analisa Torres, dismissed the putative class action against Trump Model Management and two officers, disposing of FLSA, INA and RICO claims brought by foreign models; the dismissal followed procedural and substantive challenges to the plaintiffs’ theories, and earlier individual claims were also dismissed for reasons including failure to exhaust administrative remedies such as taking claims to the Department of Labor first [3] [1].
5. Defendants’ stance and industry context
Trump Models’ lawyers publicly called Palmer’s lawsuit “frivolous” and “without merit,” and some industry defenders argue that many agencies position themselves as talent managers rather than employers — a distinction they say can change legal exposure and whether wage-and-hour rules apply [1] [5]. That framing undergirds agency defenses and helps explain why such suits face legal hurdles.
6. Advocacy, petitions and public pressure
Beyond courtroom filings, advocacy efforts — including a Change.org petition and calls from some lawmakers to investigate Trump Model Management — amplified scrutiny and urged federal probes into alleged labor and immigration abuses, though petitions and media reports do not substitute for prosecutorial or judicial findings [6] [1].
7. What the record supports and what remains unresolved
Documentary reporting and court dockets show credible allegations that models were recruited on certain visa promises and later paid little or had fees deducted, that these claims were pressed in attempts to create class actions, and that a federal judge dismissed at least one major suit against Trump Models; the sources do not establish final liability or a certified class in these cases, and they reflect competing narratives from plaintiffs, defense counsel and industry commentators [1] [3] [4] [5].