NY Judge Rejects Trump's Request, Trial to Begin Next Week
Former President Donald Trump’s civil trial in New York on fraud charges will begin Monday.
On Thursday, a ruling rejected without comment Trump’s last effort to delay the start of the trial. The Trump Organization, Trump, and his sons Eric and Donald Jr. are being sued for $250 million in a case launched by Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to Axios.
“It is hereby ordered that the motions are denied,” the ruling said.
Earlier this week, Judge Arthur Engoron, who will preside over the trial, ruled in a separate civil suit that Trump’s companies overvalued their assets for years and that Trump and his companies overvalued assets in documents used to secure loans and commit to deals, per the Associated Press.
The New York Post notes that Trump will be appealing the ruling.
Trump has also accused James of conducting a “war of intimidation and harassment” against him, according to Axios.
In the trial that begins Monday, James is seeking $250 million over allegations of fraud. CNBC adds that she is also seeking to ban Trump and his sons from doing business in New York state.
In the appeal rejected Thursday, Trump wanted the trial delayed until a ruling was made on his argument that some claims in the lawsuit were outside of the statute of limitations.
James’s claims against Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, were removed for that reason, prompting the request by Trump. Engoron was given the power to decide “the full range of defendants” impacted by the statute of limitations, but has not issued a ruling on that point.
James said this week that she will call Trump as well as three of his children – Ivanka, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric, during the trial, according to NBC.
Allen Weisselberg, the trump Organization’s former chief financial officer who last year pleaded guilty to tax fraud, and former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen are also on the list of witnesses James plans to call.
Engoron has said the trial that begins Monday could last until Dec. 22 and will be heard five days per week.
James will be calling 28 main witnesses with about 25 people listed as possible witnesses she might need to rebut testimony from Trump’s defense.
Trump’s attorneys plan to call 127 people.
In a Truth Social statement after Tuesday’s ruling, Trump said the attacks on him are political.
“The widespread, radical attack against me, my family, and my supporters has now devolved to new, un-American depths, at the hands of a DERANGED New York State Judge, doing the bidding of a completely biased and corrupt ‘Prosecutor,’ Letitia James,” Trump wrote.
“We are rapidly becoming a Communist Country, and my Civil Rights have been taken away from me,” he continued. “A Highly Politicized Democrat Judge … simply rule[d], despite all of the evidence to the contrary, that I committed fraud, which is both ridiculous and untrue.”
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