Documents the Donald Trump's lawyers fought to keep away from the public eye are being released today. There evidence in a class-action lawsuit brought by former students of Trump University. The students claim the real estate school did not live up to its promises and build enrollees out of thousands of dollars. Will trump is an cynical last week at a campaign rally used a substantial portion of the speech blasting the plaintiffs their attorneys and questioning the judges fairness and heritage. Joining me is KPBS reporter Steve Walsh. Hello Maureen. What information is contained in these documents? We don't know everything about this quite frankly they just popped up a little bit right after noon today so I've only had a cursory Curiel role through them. What we know is we have about 386 pages of documents , five different exhibits from the truncates have been that. These are for the most part what they call the playbooks. These are what the salespeople and the operation people used to outline how a Trump University course works. We Artie know from -- we of the 2010 playbook and the sales. The 2009 playbook and what the fealty on their playbook as well as well as the sales playbook dating all the way back to 2007. Why don't the trump lawyers want these documents released? What they say -- and what Donald Trump said from the stage and San Diego's is a per the inner workings is a part of the confidential documents that they use to run this course. Even a Trump University hasn't really operated since 2010 he said from the stage that maybe if he's elected as president his children will start running this course again after all of these lawsuits play out. Federal judge Gonzalo Curiel reported the doctrines release routing they do not contain Covenanter material. Donald Trump dozen of many component three things to say about Judge Curiel. What did he say about them in San Diego? He was not very happy with Judge Curiel. He said he was Mexican though in fact he from East Chicago Indiana not too far from where I'm from right in the heart of steel country just outside of Chicago. He claims that he's being railroaded by the judge and the judge is being unfair to them. He stopped short of saying that the judge recuse himself but he says the other federal judges should investigate him. What else did Donald Trump say in his extensive remarks about this case during his campaign stop.? This is a presidential candidate he went on for nearly an hour on Friday about 11 minutes of that was just spent going on and on about the Trump University lawsuit in San Diego from his perspective he says he has signed cards these evaluations from trump student saying that they liked the course. We stop looking through some of these documents is a right of the top of them that he is something like a 97% satisfaction rating. Is the release of these documents seen as a political liability for Donald Trump. Were talking about is a presidential candidate was likely to testify in this case. He's on the docket to testify, he 30 given a deposition way back in 2012 in this case and it's now going to go -- originally this case is looking to go in the summer, the judge noting the presidential election push it back to November the judge noting the presidential election push it back to November 28. This will go on through the entire election season. I believe one of the quotes from last week was put in its be wild if I were elected president and had to come back in testify in a civil case. That's what he told the crowd, wouldn't it be wild. Maybe this could be seen as a sign to pressure the judge. This is a lifetime appointment it's hard to imagine that political speeches are going to have a lot of impact on them. Will find out more about this documents from you probably as the day goes on. I've been speaking with KPBS reporter Steve Walsh.
At the same time as presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was speaking at the San Diego Convention Center on Friday, a federal judge in the San Diego civil suit against Trump University was ordering the release of key documents in the case.
From the stage, Trump spent a substantial portion of his speech complaining about the plaintiffs and their law firm. He questioned the heritage of federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel, calling him Mexican, though the former prosecutor is originally from East Chicago, Indiana.
The trial is scheduled for later in November, after the presidential election.
"The judges in this court system, federal court, they should look into what Judge Curiel is doing,” Trump said Friday. "Because what Judge Curiel is doing is a total disgrace. But we'll come back in November. Wouldn't that be wild if I'm president and I come back to do a civil case?"
The class action suit claims deceptive practices by Trump University. It is one of a handful of suits filed against the now-defunct school, but the one moving closest to trial. A trial date was originally scheduled for this summer, but the judge postponed the case because of the presidential election. The case is now set for trial on Nov. 28. Trump is on the witness list to testify.
Curiel ordered the release of so called "play books," which outline how Trump University operated.
According to the judge's order, now posted on Politico, Curiel felt most of the material was "not confidential" and that much of the information is similar to information that had already been placed on the Internet. In his ruling, Curiel said the "defendant has thus failed to articulate compelling reasons for why the material should remained sealed."
Students in the lawsuit claim Trump took their money while instructors taught them little about real estate. On stage Friday in San Diego, the presumptive GOP nominee said there were thousands of former students who gave the program positive evaluations, including some of those now involved in the lawsuit. Curiel gave Trump's lawyers until Thursday to release the documents.
