Trump Wanted to Fire Female Employees from His Golf Course Who Weren't 'Pretty Enough,' Staff Reportedly Alleged in Lawsuit

Donald Trump wanted women he deemed unattractive to be fired from working at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, the Los Angeles Times reports, citing court documents from a 2012 lawsuit.

The lawsuit reportedly alleges that Trump – who has been criticized throughout his 2016 presidential campaign for his history of body shaming women – urged managers to replace female employees he thought were "not pretty enough."

The lawsuit, which the Times said was over "broad labor relations" and focused on the golf course's "high-pressure work culture" – like a lack of meal and rest breaks – includes a sworn declaration from the former director of catering at the club.

"I had witnessed Donald Trump tell managers many times while he was visiting the club that restaurant hostesses were 'not pretty enough' and that they should be fired and replaced with more attractive women," Hayley Strozier, who held the position until 2008, said in the suit, per the Times.



This happened "almost every time" Trump visited the California club – which was rare, the suit reportedly stated. Strozier alleged that in response, managers began to schedule only the club's "most attractive women" to work when Trump was in town.

Sue Kwiatkowski, a former restaurant manager at the club until 2009, reportedly added in another declaration, "One time [Trump] took me aside and said, 'I want you to get some good looking hostesses here. People like to see good looking people when they come in.' "

A Trump Organization attorney said in a statement to the Times that the accusations were "meritless."

The majority of the lawsuit was settled in 2013 when the golf course's management agreed to pay $475,000 to plaintiff employees who complained about the break policies, the Times said. There was no admission of wrongdoing, however. Another employee's claim that she was fired after complaining about the management's treatment of women at the club was settled separately under confidential terms, the Times reported.

RELATED VIDEO: Donald Trump Has a History of Controversial Remarks Toward Women

Trump's remarks about women over the years have come back to haunt him, and were even featured in a recent Hillary Clinton debate ad.

During Monday night's presidential debate, the GOP nominee defended the controversial remarks he's made after Clinton highlighted his tendency to make misogynistic comments.

"Hillary is hitting me with tremendous commercials," the 70-year-old asserted. "Some of it said in entertainment, some of it said to somebody who's been very vicious to me – Rosie O'Donnell. I said very tough things to her and I think everybody would agree that she deserves it and nobody feels sorry for her."