Trump denied halt to $250M civil fraud trial by appeals judge after Letitia James warned it would ‘sow chaos’By Priscilla DeGregory, Ben Kochman and Kyle Schnitzer
Published Oct. 6, 2023
An appeals judge Friday rejected Donald Trump’s bid to halt his $250 million civil fraud trial that began this week.
The New York Attorney General’s Office had warned that the requested move would “sow chaos” if granted.
Trump, 77, had separately filed a notice of appeal Wednesday seeking to overturn a bombshell ruling from Justice Arthur Engoron that sided with New York Attorney General Letitia James on one of her main fraud claims in the case against the real-estate tycoon.
Engoron — who is hearing the Manhattan trial rather than a jury — found that the 45th president was liable for fraud when he exaggerated the value of his assets for years.
As part of what’s known as a summary judgment, Engoron also revoked some of Trump’s business licenses in the Empire State and said a receiver needed to be appointed to oversee the winding down of those companies.
Meanwhile, the trial went forward in Manhattan Supreme Court on the remaining claims and to determine how much Trump should pay for the fraud — which the AG says should be at least $250 million.
But Trump made an emergency motion asking the Appellate Division, First Department to put the entire trial on hold until a decision is reached on his appeal — all while the fifth day of the trial got underway in court without Trump’s presence.
After oral arguments Friday afternoon, First Department Justice Peter Moulton rejected the motion to put the trial on hold but did grant Trump’s side’s request to temporarily stop the cancellation of his business certificates from taking effect while the appeal plays out.
Trump’s camp had argued in its filing that Engoron’s Sept. 26 decision and an order from Thursday saying both sides had until Oct. 26 to provide possible candidates for the receiver position were “unauthorized, undemanded [sic], overbroad relief without proper factual or legal predicate.”
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2023/10/06/trumps-lawyers-ask-appeals-court-to-halt-current-250m-civil-fraud-trial/
