New York Attorney General Letitia James’s (D) office late Wednesday night pushed back on former President Trump’s “brazen and meritless” attempt to delay an upcoming civil trial in which she is suing Trump, his business and two of his adult children for fraud.
James warned a delay could cause issues with Trump’s broader court calendar, in which he is facing four criminal indictments. The trial in this civil suit was set to begin Oct. 2, but a judge issued an interim pause after Trump claimed the trial judge was ignoring an appellate ruling. The pause request now heads to a panel of New York appeals judges for a final decision.
Judith Vale, deputy solicitor general in James’s office, called Trump’s petition a “brazen and meritless attempt” to “usurp” the trial judge’s authority to manage his own docket and his “fundamental judicial role” to issue certain rulings.
The New York attorney general’s office is suing Trump, the Trump Organization and two of his adult children, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., alleging more than a decade of fraud. The lawsuit claims Trump’s company falsely inflated and deflated the value of its assets for personal gain, like lower taxes and better insurance coverage.
James’s office in the new court filings asked that the panel reject Trump’s delay request and issue the ruling before Oct. 2 so the trial can begin on time.
NY AG: Trump request to delay civil fraud trial ‘brazen and meritless’ (msn.com)