Kathleen Culliton is Raw Story's managing editor. She's been covering local and national news for more than a decade for outlets that include the New York Post, Al Jazeera, DNAinfo New York, Bustle, the New York Daily News, WNYC, NY1, City Limits and the New York City Patch. Kathleen is a proud alumna of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.
Donald Trump may have risked a lawsuit by shilling gold sneakers to help pay his mounting legal fees, a CNN analyst said Monday.
Maria Cardona explained that, as a "shoe diva," she knows the ins and outs of copyright law when it comes to high-end brands such as Christian Louboutin.
"When I looked at this, I said, this is yet another lawsuit in the making," Cardona told Wolf Blitzer, specifically referencing the red sole the former president's new shoes have.
Louboutin's shoes are famous for the red sole.
Trump began selling his gold sneakers after he was hit with a $350 million fraud judgment for what a New York judge said was a widespread pattern of financial fraud at the Trump Organization. Trump has attacked the verdict and is vowing to appeal.
Over the weekend, he debuted gold sneakers he's selling for up to $400 a pair.. They have already reportedly sold out.
The gaudy kicks are intending to help him raise cash to fund massive legal costs, which include the fraud case damages and another $83 million he owes after being found liable for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.
He also has millions in legal fees associated with his upcoming legal trials.
Cardona warns the sneakers might take him back to court.
"Louboutin, who is a hugely famous top-line designer of women's shoes, has a very, his, his shoes famously have a red sole," she explained. " He has been in some lawsuits before where the court and the European Union, the court in India have said this red sole is a trademark of this shoe designer.
"It would be really ironic for this thing that Donald Trump did in order to make money to pay his lawsuits to accrue yet another for additional lawsuit that he's going to have to make money on."