When Alina Habba Was Heard Shouting Racist Slurs About NY AG Letitia James by Employee

Alina Habba, the legal spokesperson for Donald Trump, had once allegedly referred to Letitia James of New York, whom she was pitted against in Trump's big civil fraud trial, as a "Black b***h."

The racial slur came to light in a 2022 lawsuit that Na'syia Drayton, a Black woman who worked as a legal assistant at Habba Madaio & Associates until 2022, had filed against Habba, alleging discrimination, per Business Insider. 

The case, which was later settled out of court, was filed in Middlesex County, New Jersey, and it mentions a specific, unpleasant incident in which Habba called James racial slurs. The incident allegedly happened in April 2022 when Habba lost a legal argument with James, a Black woman, and she became furious. That same month, a judge had mandated that Trump fully answer to a subpoena from James and pay a $10,000 daily fine until he did, per Newsweek.

The lawsuit claimed that, upon hearing of her defeat, Habba stormed out of her office and exclaimed, "I hate that Black b***h," referring to James. She then allegedly "began parading around the office seething" about the judge.

Drayton, outraged by the racial remarks, wrote in her lawsuit that she felt "astonished" that her boss "felt comfortable and entitled to make such statements" in front of her and at work. At the comparatively small and humble Habba Madaio & Associates, situated in Bedminster, New Jersey—the same town that is home to the Trump National Golf Club—Drayton was the sole employee of African American descent.

In her case, Drayton claims that she was the victim of racial harassment and discrimination. She requested damages, including lost future earnings and unspecified back pay. Habba also participated in other improper actions, such as using the N-word.

To "energize, motivate, and otherwise 'pump themselves up' before making court appearances, the lawsuit claims that Habba and Madaio also had the "inappropriate and offensive" habit of dropping "N" bombs while "loudly" rapping along to "booming" rap music in the office.

The song lyrics that were deemed "racially offensive and sexually inappropriate" were included as "Exhibit A" in Drayton's complaint. Drayton claims in the lawsuit that Habba called a Jewish coworker, in another incident, "a cheap Jew."

Habba once reportedly loudly informed Drayton, "You people like fried chicken," while she was looking over the menu during a staff luncheon. The fried chicken stereotype is an anti-African American racist trope that has its roots in the American Civil War and traditional Black foods.

After Drayton expressed her concerns, she claims that Habba responded with "emotional, animated, and aggressive" combativeness, calling her "hyper-sensitive" and "ungrateful." Habba allegedly yelled back at Drayton, "I am a f**king minority myself! I'm not white," adding, "I used to be bullied because I am Arab."