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Mirage sues Trump, Hilton
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September 9, 1997: 7:45 p.m. ET
Operators of casinos and hotels locked in Atlantic City dispute
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Fighting for a piece of the East Coast casino market, Mirage Resorts filed suit Tuesday against two big rivals.
The dispute stems from a long-running feud over Mirage's plans to build a billion-dollar resort in Atlantic City, N.J. Filed in U.S. District Court in New York, the lawsuit targets hotel and gambling companies Hilton Hotels, Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts and its chairman, Donald J. Trump.
According to a statement, Las Vegas-based Mirage charges that Trump and Hilton "improperly used the court system and the process of governmental agencies to delay and attempt to thwart new competition." Mirage also alleges that "Trump has made or induced to be made improper political contributions in order to interfere with Mirage's planned developments."
Mirage seeks more than $150 million in damages.
Donald Trump called Mirage's suit "a pathetic attempt" to blame Trump and Hilton for Mirage's inability to executive its plan, and he vowed to countersue. "I'm very much in favor of having other casinos in Atlantic City, but not at taxpayers' expense," he said.
Hilton spokesman Marc Grossman was much more tight-lipped, saying "we have not seen the lawsuit, and we therefore cannot comment."
The suit alleges that Trump and Hilton violated antitrust laws.
"I believe this relentless campaign has been designed and executed by the defendants to prevent competition," Mirage Chairman Stephen A. Wynn said in a statement. "Their vicious and vindictive attacks have been directed at virtually every person or institution, public or private, which in the normal course of business has had any contact with Mirage Resorts in its attempt to invest in New Jersey."
The argument dates back to April 1995, when Atlantic City sought bids to develop a 150-acre, city-owned area. Mirage's proposal for a resort complex beat out Trump's golf course plan. 
-- Will Morton
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