Donald Trump’s Lawyers Get Scolded by Judge After Trying To Throw Out a Fraud Lawsuit
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Donald Trump's lawyers may be facing sanctions as a Manhattan judge scolded the on Friday as he denied their attempt to throw out a lawsuit that accused their client and the Trump organization of committing a fraud scheme that ran for several years.
According to the Associated Press, the Trump lawyers were trying to get New York Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit dismissed. However, Judge Arthur Engoron did not rule in favor of them and instead lambasted the attorneys, saying that they "should have known better" as they recycled "frivolous, meritless arguments in paperwork."
In his nine-page decision, Judge Engoron wrote that all of the Trump team's arguments were repetitive and they were deja vu all over again." One of the grounds that the Trump lawyers tried to throw the lawsuit out was that it was just another politically motivated "witch hunt."
Originally filed last September, the lawsuit alleges that the former president and his company, the Trump Organization, have misled banks and investors about the true value of their assets, from various Trump hotels to his golf courses. If successful, the lawsuit might get Trump to cough up $250 million and permanently ban Trump from ever doing business in New York state.
Judge Threatens to Sanction Donald Trump Lawyers
After calling their efforts to dismiss the New York Attorney-General's lawsuit against their clients, Judge Arthur Engoron also threatened to punish the Trump lawyers.
According to ABC News, Judge Engoron emailed the Trump attorneys, which included Alina Habba, Christopher Kise, and Clifford Robert, and said that he "is considering imposing sanctions on them for frivolous litigation" over their attempt to throw out the said lawsuit.
The judge noted that the court had already rejected the same arguments previously and they were getting repetitive already.
The Trump lawyers responded with their own letter, stating that it was not their intention to "disregard or disrespect the Court or its rulings." The Trump attorneys argued that the law required "presentation and preservation of arguments even where there is, respectfully, disagreement between the parties and/or the Court."
Trump lawyer Alina Habba stated that they once again plan to appeal the ruling.
Donald Trump Ordered to Face New York AG's Lawsuit
After the judge threw out the Trump lawyers' attempt to dismiss the lawsuit, the judge has now ruled that former President Donald Trump must now face the fraud lawsuit, which also names his three adult children, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump.
Reuters reported that the judge also stated that Ivanka Trump could also be sued despite her claiming that she did not falsify Trump Organization valuations, as well as claiming that she has not worked for the company since 2017.
Judge Engoron was the same judge who previously held Trump in contempt and fined him $110,000. This happened last year when Trump failed to hand over documents. Engoron also forced the former president to sit for a deposition with James' investigators, though Trump just pleaded the 5th around 400 times during the deposition.
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Written by: Rick Martin
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