New York: A Manhattan judge reprimanded Donald Trump's lawyers on Friday as they rejected his request to dismiss a lawsuit alleging a multi-year fraud scheme by the former president and his company.
In a filing requesting New York Attorney General Letitia James dismiss the lawsuit, Judge Arthur Angrone said that attorneys for Donald Trump and his Trump Organization "should have known better" in what he claimed were frivolous and pointless arguments. were.
In his nine-page decision, Angoron criticized Trump's lawyers, even quoting baseball legend Yogi Berra, saying that much of their argument was "deja vu all over again", with Trump's repeated The famous claim was also included that Sue was a political "witch to hunt."
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Angorone had threatened to punish the Trump lawyers, but announced that he had kept his word after strongly criticizing them in his decision.
In the lawsuit, which was filed in September, it is claimed that Donald Trump and the Trump Organization misled banks and other parties about the value of prized properties, such as golf courses and hotels bearing their names. James, a Democrat, is seeking $250 million as well as a long-term prohibition against Trump, a Republican, doing business in the state.
"Donald Trump's attempts to evade the law have been rejected once again," James said in a statement. “We filed suit against Mr. Trump after discovering that he committed serious financial fraud to benefit himself and manipulate the system. Donald Trump is not above the law, as today's decision shows He is, and he must answer for his actions in court."
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Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, said she intends to appeal Angoron's decision. This is just the most recent ruling that Engron has given against Trump or Trump-related interests during a lawsuit overseeing the lawsuit and an associated investigation into his company.
Trump was fined $110,000 and held in contempt of Angoron last year for his delay in providing requested documents. Additionally, she made him give a statement to James' investigators. Trump exercised his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination more than 400 times during that testimony.
As of Angorone's announcement in November, the Trump Organization is no longer free to independently negotiate contracts, sell assets or change its corporate structure. organization.
Last month, the Trump Organization was found guilty of criminal tax fraud for aiding officials in avoiding taxes on lavish benefits such as apartments and expensive cars. The business will be sentenced on January 13 and could be fined up to $1.6 million.
On Friday, a New York judge ruled that former US President Donald Trump must answer allegations by the state's attorney general that he falsified the assets of his eponymous real estate company and his own net worth.
Last September, Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump, his adult children Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka, as well as the Trump Organization, alleging that they inflated Trump's wealth by billions of dollars. Plotted. Decade of fraudulent statements to banks and insurers. He called the scheme a "staggering" fraud.
State Supreme Court Justice Arthur Angrone in Manhattan rejected defense arguments that James filed his suit too late, failed to prove fraud, and needed better support for his demand for $250 million in damages. Was.
In addition, he said that Ivanka Trump could be held liable for engaging in "continuing wrongdoing" despite her claims that she had not evaluated and not worked for the Trump Organization since 2017.
The defendants' claim that James was engaged in a political "witch hunt" and did not have the legal right to sue was also not penalized by the judge. Nevertheless, Angoron wrote that "the sophisticated defense attorney should have known better." A request for comment from defense attorneys was not immediately returned.
Trump "engaged in years of extensive financial fraud to enrich himself and defraude the system," according to a statement from James, and must now appear in court to defend himself.
Additionally, she seeks to freeze Trump's operations in New York and bar Trump and his company from purchasing property there for a period of five years.
A trial is set for October 2. The lawsuit is one of several legal issues Trump is dealing with as he runs for president again in 2024.
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These include criminal inquiries into his role in attempts to rig or tamper with the results of the 2020 presidential election as well as the FBI's seizure of official documents from his Florida home.
James' civil case is being investigated criminally by the Manhattan district attorney's office, and the Trump Organization will be sentenced on January 13 after being found guilty of tax fraud in another New York case.