FORE SHAME

Trump Lawyer Hit With Bombshell Investigation

Alina Habba was investigated for helping to settle a sexual harassment case involving a manager of the president’s Bedminster golf club.

Alina Habba, Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, is facing major disciplinary action that could result in the loss of her law license.

A complaint filed by the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Office of Attorney Ethics recommends that Habba be punished for her role in settling a sexual harassment complaint involving a then 21-year-old waitress who worked at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster and alleged she was sexually harassed by her manager.

Habba befriended the worker, Alice Bianco, and allegedly convinced her to drop her lawyer and accept a $15,000 settlement and other terms “favorable” to the golf club—where Habba was a paid member—and “unfavorable” to Bianco, according to a complaint obtained by The Washington Sun and The New York Times.

Habba’s office then made Bianco sign a nondisclosure agreement, even though New Jersey law prohibits NDAs in workplace harassment cases.

“Mrs Habba fraudulently induced Ms. Bianco to give up her rights to enter into a settlement which is illegally unconscionable,” the complaint reads. “Every day that Ms. Bianco is afraid to speak about her harassment for fear of draconian and illegal penalties violates her rights.”

The complaint accuses Habba of deceptively acting on behalf of Trump and the golf club when she offered Bianco advice about how to move forward with her sexual harassment claims.

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Habba denied there was a conflict of interest when she offered to help Bianco. She told ethics officials during an Oct. 10, 2024, interview and in written submissions that she was merely acting as a neutral third party whose “job was to make everybody happy and make this move along so that everyone could get along with their lives.”

Bianco previously told The Washington Sun that she sought advice from Habba, believing she was acting as her lawyer.

Bianco later hired another New Jersey lawyer, Nancy Erika Smith, to sue the Bedminster golf club for a larger $82,500 settlement. Habba also settled another lawsuit with Bianco after Smith accused her of “fraudulently” inducing Bianco to sign an illegal nondisclosure agreement, resulting in a $400,000 settlement.

“She’s unethical and she should be disbarred,” Smith told the Times. “She used this 21-year-old victim of sexual assault… It’s hard to think of a more severe ethical violation.”

The Office of Attorney Ethics in New Jersey recommended that Habba’s case proceed to a hearing where recommendations for potential penalties will be made. New Jersey’s Supreme Court will ultimately decide if Habba should be punished, with possible outcomes including admonition or disbarment.

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Soon after brokering the $15,000 settlement, Habba began working as Trump’s personal lawyer. She later represented him in the civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James and the sexual abuse and defamation cases brought by former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll.

Habba lost both cases, resulting in Trump being ordered to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and punitive damages.

In December 2025, a judge ruled that Habba was illegally serving as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor, as the Trump administration used a convoluted method to keep her in the role without the required Senate approval.

The Daily Beast has contacted Alina Habba for comment.

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