Donald Trump news: A New York appeals court on Tuesday dismissed Donald Trump’s bid to end the state attorney general’s lawsuit accusing him and his family business of ‘staggering’ fraud, but dismissed all claims complaints against her daughter Ivanka Trump and said the remaining case could be further limited.
Attorney General Letitia James’ civil case filed last September accused Trump of lying from 2011 to 2021 about asset values, including for his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and the Trump Tower penthouse in Manhattan, as well as his own net worth, to get better terms from lenders and insurers.
The lawsuit seeks at least $250 million in damages from Trump, his adult sons Donald Jr and Eric, the Trump Organization and others, and to stop the Trumps from running businesses in New York.
Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner for the 2024 presidential election, has denied any wrongdoing. He also called James’ case and two unrelated indictments, in which he pleaded not guilty, part of a Democratic “witch hunt”.
In a 5-0 ruling, the Manhattan Appeals Division said state law gives James the power to police allegations of “repeated or persistent fraud or illegality” and conduct lengthy and lengthy investigations. complexes several years after the alleged misconduct began.
But he said the statute of limitations prevented James, who had investigated Trump’s business dealings for three years, from suing for claims that arose before July 13, 2014 or February 6, 2016, according to the defendant.
He also said all claims against Ivanka Trump should be dismissed because they were filed too late and because she was no longer with the Trump Organization at the time.
OCTOBER TRIAL
The court returned the case to Judge Arthur Engoron of the Manhattan State Supreme Court to determine which parties could proceed.
A trial on October 2 is scheduled. Trump was questioned under oath for the case in April.
“There is a mountain of evidence that shows that Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization falsely and fraudulently valued multiple assets and misrepresented those values to financial institutions for significant economic gain,” a spokeswoman for James said. “This decision allows us to hold him accountable for this fraud, and we intend to do so.”
During oral arguments on June 6, an attorney for James said Trump’s dealings did not happen in a vacuum and that letting him commit fraud harmed honest participants in the banking, insurance and financial markets. real estate.
Christopher Kise, an attorney for Donald Trump and most of the other defendants, called the decision a “first step” towards ending a case James should not have filed.
“The correct application of the law will now appropriately limit the previously unlimited scope of the attorney general,” he said. “We remain confident that once all the true facts are known, there will be no doubt that President Trump has built an extraordinarily successful business empire.”
Ivanka Trump’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the criminal cases, Trump faces a 34-count indictment obtained by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for silent money payments to a porn star, and an indictment of 38-count indictment from the US Department of Justice saying he mishandled classified documents.
The New York civil case is New York v. Trump et al, New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, 1st Department, No. 2023-00717.
