Opinion ID: 73339
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Brand's Failure to Pay

Text: Brand did not appeal or otherwise challenge the 1992 order dissolving his marriage. During the course of the next four years, Brand paid only about $10,000 to Margrethe pursuant to his obligation under the order. Meanwhile, he charged thousands of dollars to his American Express card-$28,749 in 1993 and just under $10,000 in 1994. Most of the charges were for restaurants and travel to places such as the Cayman Islands, Las Vegas, Chicago and China. The payments to American Express in 1993 came from the bank account of Patricia Pan, Brand's girlfriend, who lived with him in an apartment at Trump Tower in New York City. At that time, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Trump Tower was between $4,000 and $5,000 per month. In July of 1995, Margrethe taped a telephone conversation she had with Brand. Margrethe told him that she had terrible financial problems. Brand replied that he had not sent her any money because she would just use it with the lawyers against [him]. Brand then told Margrethe that he had no way of paying what was required of him under the state court order, regardless of whether they bill[ed][him] for ... a hundred thousand ... or four million. When the conversation turned to the monthly child support payments, however, Brand said that he would be glad to send [her] that, but that he had not previously paid it because the lawyers [we]re trying to put [him] into jail in order to collect four and a half million dollars that [he] d[idn't] have. Later in the conversation, Brand offered to give Margrethe $20,000 to $25,000 if she would come to New York to talk. Apparently leery of Brand's motives, Margrethe asked if she would have to sign any papers. He assured her that if she would just come to New York, he would have [a] check for [her]. Margrethe therefore traveled to New York the following month to meet with Brand. When she arrived, Brand presented her with an agreement proposing to settle their dispute for approximately $200,000. Brand got angry when Margrethe refused to sign the document without consulting her lawyer. Brand never gave Margrethe the $20,000 to $25,000 he had promised.