Celebrity chef: Trump lawsuit against him is 'without merit'

After being sued for $10 million by Donald Trump for backing out of a deal to open up a restaurant at his new hotel in D.C., Jose Andres has responded to the lawsuit.

"This lawsuit is both unsurprising and without merit," said Think Food Group on behalf of the celebrity chef. "Simply put, Mr. Trump's comments made ThinkFoodGroup's participation in this project impossible and constituted a breach which the landlord, Trump Old Post Office LLC, refused to remedy. And despite our attempts to negotiate an amicable resolution, we were ultimately forced to terminate the lease. We had every intention of running a successful business that celebrates and welcomes people and cultures from around the world. The landlord allowed Mr. Trump to saddle us with the burden of his inflammatory statements, such that operating a high-end Spanish restaurant is no longer viable for us at this location."

Andres opted out of opening a restaurant at Trump's $200 million hotel project currently being built at the Old Post Office Pavilion after the presidential candidate's controversial comments about Mexican immigrants.

Trump is suing Andres on the basis of breach of contract.

The hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue is scheduled to open in 2016.