Two months after the March 2016 rally, Ms. Nwanguma and two other protesters sued Mr. Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, contending incitement, saying he was legally liable because Mr. Heimbach and other Trump supporters were acting as his “agents.” The civil suit also accuses Mr. Heimbach and two other Trump supporters of assault and battery, adding that they shouted racial slurs at her.
In a separate lawsuit filed last month, Mr. Heimbach, 26, demanded indemnity from Mr. Trump, saying he was responsible for any injuries Mr. Heimbach might have inflicted because Mr. Trump directed him and others to take action. The suit also requests that Mr. Trump pay Mr. Heimbach’s legal fees, citing a promise Mr. Trump made at an earlier rally to pay legal costs of anyone who removed protesters.
Plenty of people have sued Mr. Trump over the years, but the president has probably not previously faced quite such esoteric legal arguments, not to mention a demand for payment from someone who says he represents the white working-class voters who helped propel him into the White House.
