Trump sues local Apprentice contestant, claiming intellectual property theft

Mira Mesa entrepreneur April Dwyer was famously a contestant on the 2004 season of The Apprentice, the reality show hosted by current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. She made it through four episodes before getting “fired,” but says the experience was "hugely positive overall. Working side by side with Mr. Trump and the other contestants taught me to seize the day. To recognize an opportunity and just grab ahold of it and never let go.”

For Dwyer, that opportunity came when her cat, Mr. Wiggles, found his way to a branch high in her neighbor’s tree. “We actually ended up calling the fire department to get him down. I felt so stupid, like I was a walking cliche. And I thought to myself, There has got to be a solution to this problem. I can’t be the only one.”

Six months later, she had a patent on The Pussygrabber, a telescoping pole equipped with a specially made claw that "takes firm hold of your kitty without causing any distress, thanks to the polyurethane prongs and LovingTouch(TM) grip system.”

It turned out she was right: her first offering on QVC sold out in minutes. An infomercial followed, and today, the only time Dwyer hears the words “You’re fired” is when she’s saying it to one of her employees at Dwyer Manufacturing Inc.

But however grateful she may have been to Mr. Trump before, she isn’t likely to be praising him again anytime soon. Two weeks ago, the embattled politician filed suit against her, claiming “intellectual property theft.”

“At first, I was utterly mystified,” says Dwyer. “Then I heard the exchange between Trump and Bush. Jerk. He wasn’t even on our set when he said that!"