A court official stated that the trial of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ fraud lawsuit against Donald Trump and his family firm has been rescheduled for October 2 by a judge at the state appeals court of New York.
The injunction was made, according to a Daily Beast story, when the former US president sued Justice Arthur Engoron, the trial judge overseeing the case, claiming that James and he had both disobeyed a court order that may have restricted the litigation.
An appeals court justice named David Friedman granted a temporary delay of the trial, according to a court official. He also assigned the case to a panel of five judges, who will decide in the last week of September.
The trial might still begin on October 2 depending on the rulings of the appeals court’s First Department.
A court official stated that Friedman’s stay would not impact the scheduled Sept. 22 hearing before Engoron regarding the parties’ joint applications for summary judgement. The hearing will go according to schedule.
James is seeking a ruling that Trump was dishonest in his financial statements, while the defendants want most or all of the attorney general’s charges to be dismissed. Engoron stated that the trial could last until almost Christmas.
Attorneys for Donald Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“We are confident in our case and will be ready for trial,” James said in a statement.
The attorney general asserts that there is “mountain of evidence” showing Trump and his supporters lied about their assets and net worth over a ten-year period in an effort to obtain better terms on loans and insurance. She asserts that there’s a possibility the data was exaggerated by up to $3.6 billion.
She’s not only calling for a $250 million fine, but she also wants to stop Trump and his sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., from running the family business, the Trump Organisation. James began her case in September 2022 after a three-year probe.
The appeals court said in July that statutes of limitations might prevent James from bringing a lawsuit for claims that first appeared before July 13, 2014, or February 6, 2016
due to statutes of limitations. Engoron was directed to determine whether claims could move forward.
In the 2024 contest for the Republican presidential nomination, Trump has a commanding lead.
He has said that James’ prosecution is a part of a Democratic “witch hunt” and denied any wrongdoing.
The “witch hunt” defense did not support a dismissal, according to Engoron’s January statement, and certain defense points were “borderline frivolous even the first time defendants made them.”