Donald Trump’s fraud case will head to trial in October next year to finally face-off with New York Attorney General Letitia James in the case against himself, his three adult children and the Trump Organization.
Almost a year away and in the middle of campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination, Trump will need to appear in court for the $250 million lawsuit against his business, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.
Manhattan-based Judge Arthur Engoron set the court date for October 2, 2023.
According to CNN, Trump and his children, Ivanka, Jared and Donald Trump Jr., could appear to testify.
‘My clients, they will be here. All of them,’ Alina Habba, a lawyer for Trump and his company, told the outlet.
She also accused Judge Engoron of having an ‘unfair’ and ‘clear bias’ against the Trumps and exhibiting over the last ‘year and half.’
Donald Trump’s fraud case got an October 2, 2023 court date, and his lawyer suggested he will appear to testify in the lawsuit from NY AG Letitia James
New York Attorney General Letitia James is is also investigating allegations that Trump’s company misled lenders and tax authorities about asset values
NY AG James filed a lawsuit against Trump in September after a three-year investigation into the Trump Organization and whether it manipulated property values to obtain investments and reap the tax and loan benefits.
Attorneys have been sparring over the trial date, as Trump’s lawyers claim they need more time. Lawyers in James’ office, however, claim he is trying to get through the 2024 election without going to trial first.
‘This is all just their game of delay, delay, delay. They’re trying to push this into 2024,’ Kevin Wallakce, a lawyer for the New York attorney general’s office, said.
On the other hand, Clifford Robert, an attorney for Don Jr. and Eric Trump, said the case is just ‘smoke and mirrors.’
Last month Trump announced he was suing James, challenging the prosecutor’s own suit against the ex-president and his business, demanding $250million in damages.
Trump aired the lawsuit in an impassioned post to his Truth Social platform Wednesday night, in which he called the attorney general ‘corrupt’ and ‘bias,’ and New York ‘one of the most crime-ridden places on earth.’
Filed in Florida circuit court, the lawsuit states James abused her position ‘to pursue a relentless, pernicious, public, and unapologetic crusade against’ the ex-president, who currently resides in Palm Beach County, Florida
He further charged that James, who aired plans last year to run for governor against Kathy Hatchel in the upcoming election but backed out after failing to raise the necessary funds, has done little to protect New York against rampant crime.
Instead, the suit states the prosecutor has engaged in a senseless ‘war of intimidation and harassment’ through her office’s investigation into Trump’s Big Apple-based real estate company, which James charges skirted taxes for 15 years.
Filed in Florida circuit court, the lawsuit states James abused her position ‘to pursue a relentless, pernicious, public, and unapologetic crusade against’ the ex-president, who currently resides in Palm Beach County, Florida.
The goal of James’ supposed witch hunt, Trump charged, is ‘destroying him personally, financially, and politically.’
The civil suit seeks unspecified damages in regard to James’ alleged smear campaign, and went as far as to brand James a ‘political hack… who is using this lawsuit for political gain.’
‘James has repeatedly abused her position as Attorney General for the State of New York to pursue a relentless, pernicious, public, and unapologetic crusade against President Trump, a resident of Palm Beach County, Florida, with the stated goal of destroying him personally, financially, and politically,’ the filing reads.
It goes on to slam James’ long-running investigation as ‘contrary to both the laws of New York and Florida,’ claiming it was launched without evidence and ‘before the pretext of a predicate existed.’
Trump tore into James, who is overseeing the $250 million lawsuit against him in New York
Prosecutors in the trial based on James’ accusation allege that the Trump Organization ran a 15-year scheme to help its top executives from paying their proper taxes – claims the ex-president said were fabricated to harm his image and bolster the AG’s
Since being elected in 2019, the suit states James ‘established within her office a policy of intimidating and harassing President Trump whenever possible,’ beginning during Trump’s presidency and persisting since he returned to his residence in Palm Beach County.
The end objective of the AG’s ‘ongoing intimidation and harassment’ campaign, it charges, is to cause the Trump and the Trump Organization irrevocable ‘harm’ – while building up ‘underserved publicity’ for herself as a politician.
It also suggests that in October the prosecutor ‘began amping up her attacks on President Trump to rev up her political base’ by filing the $250m civil suit.
James’ suit claimed that Trump and other staffers at his real estate empire committed fraud on a regular basis for a decade and a half, inflating his net worth by billions of dollars while misleading banks and others for years about the true value of various assets.
In response, Trump’s suit asserts that these parties he supposedly duped were some of the most ‘sophisticated commercial lenders and insurance companies… in the world’ – represented by ‘some of the largest, finest, and toughest law firms.’
It adds that statements submitted by James’ office to provide proof of the ex-president’s net worth ‘contained numerous disclaimers regarding the manner in which the estimates were prepared.’
‘To place this abusive claim in context,’ the suit asserts of the AG’s fraud allegations, ‘the many assets owned by President Trump carry very little debt and most are free and clear.’
‘James seeks unprecedented oversight of President 3 Trump’s business and financial affairs — including control over President Trump’s Florida revocable trust1 — as she grandstands in demanding $250 million in ‘restitution’ for the people of New York,’ the suit charges.
‘In truth, James knows that no restitution is owed but seeks only attention for herself and retribution against President Trump.’
The civil suit seeks unspecified damages in regard to James’ alleged smear campaign, and went as far as to brand James a ‘political hack… who is using this lawsuit for political gain.’
The filing further declares James’ allegations would bring great harm to his company, the Trump brand, his employees, and his reputation. ‘Likewise, it could virtually destroy the highly profitable’ properties his empire operates.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk