MckourageAlina Habba is an American lawyer and the Managing Partner of Habba Madaio & Associates LLP, a law firm based in Bedminster, New Jersey, and offices in New York, New York.
She was born on March 25, 1984, in Summit, New Jersey, to parents who immigrated from Iraq to escape the persecution of Iraqi Christians.
She graduated from Lehigh University in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and obtained a J.D. from Widener University Commonwealth Law School in 2010. Habba began private practice in September 2011, serving as an associate at Tompkins, McGuire, Wachenfeld & Barry, LLP.
From February 2013 to March 2020, she was an equity partner and the Managing Partner of Sandelands Eyet LLP, a mid-sized firm.
In March 2020, she left to start her own firm, Habba, Madaio, and Associates LLP.
Habba is a member of the Bar Associations of New Jersey, New York, and the American Bar Association, and is licensed to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
She has served as lead counsel for many cases, including a federal class action suit against a New Jersey nursing home accused of various negligent acts and consumer fraud violations.
Habba has also held the position of general counsel for a large parking management and real estate investment firm.
She has represented clients in various legal cases, including a man suing a nursing home in New Jersey and a student seeking a refund for tuition after the University of Bridgeport moved classes to an online format.
In September 2021, Habba was hired by former President Donald Trump as part of his legal team, replacing several well-established lawyers.
Habba made headlines by filing a $100 million lawsuit on Trump’s behalf against The New York Times, three Times reporters, and Trump’s niece, Mary L. Trump.
Habba also worked on Trump’s behalf when he was sued for defamation by Summer Zervos.
Trump had called Zervos a “liar” in 2017 after she accused him of kissing and groping her without her consent when she was a contestant on his reality TV show, The Apprentice.
Habba represented Trump in a legal case where he was being investigated for falsely representing the value of his assets on his New York State income tax returns.
She attempted to appeal a court order requiring Trump and his children to give sworn testimony about the valuations they signed for when filing those returns, but her appeals were unsuccessful.
In August 2022, Habba was present during Trump’s deposition led by New York‘s Attorney General, Letitia James, where Trump refused to answer any questions during the four-hour deposition by citing the United States Constitution’s Fifth Amendment over 450 times.
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