Donald Trump无毛视频檚 civil fraud trial will go on after lawyers seek early verdict ending case
Former President Donald Trump speaks outside the courtroom after testifying at New York Supreme Court, Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, in New York.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Hialeah, Fla., Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023.
New York Attorney General Letitia James addresses the media outside New York Supreme Court, Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, in New York, following proceedings in a civil fraud trial against former President Donald Trump.
In this courtroom sketch, Judge Arthur Engoron, center, speaks to former President Donald Trump's attorney, Chris Kise, left, directing him to speak with Trump, far right, to answer the questions by the assistant attorney general in New York Supreme Court, Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, in New York.
NEW YORK (AP) 无毛视频� Donald Trump无毛视频檚 lawyers were thwarted Thursday in their longshot bid to immediately end the New York civil fraud trial that threatens the former president无毛视频檚 real estate empire.
Judge Arthur Engoron didn无毛视频檛 rule on the request, but indicated the trial will go on as scheduled Monday with Donald Trump Jr. returning to the stand as the first defense witness.
Trump无毛视频檚 lawyers had asked Engoron to cut the trial short and issue a verdict clearing Trump, his company and top executives including Trump Jr. of wrongdoing.
They made the request halfway through the trial of New York Attorney General Letitia James无毛视频� lawsuit, arguing the state had failed to prove its case. James alleges Trump and other defendants duped banks, insurers and others by inflating his wealth on financial statements.
Engoron said the defense无毛视频檚 arguments seeking what无毛视频檚 known as a directed verdict were 无毛视频渢aken under advisement.无毛视频� He did not address them further when he returned to court Thursday afternoon to rule on another matter.
In that ruling, Engoron gave Trump无毛视频檚 lawyers a victory, allowing them to call several expert witnesses in an attempt to refute testimony that Trump无毛视频檚 financial statements afforded him better loan terms, insurance premiums and were a factor in dealmaking.
The judge, who无毛视频檚 had a history of ruling against Trump, has signaled interest in seeing the trial through to its conclusion, asking defense lawyers for witness schedules and pegging closing arguments close to Christmas.
In seeking to short-circuit the case, Trump lawyer Christopher Kise argued state lawyers had failed to meet 无毛视频渁ny legal standard无毛视频� to prove allegations of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsifying business records.
无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 no victim. There无毛视频檚 no complainant. There无毛视频檚 no injury. All of that is established now by the evidence,无毛视频� Kise argued.
State lawyer Kevin Wallace responded that there was no reason to end the trial, saying the evidence is 无毛视频渕ore than sufficient to continue to final verdict.无毛视频�
Trump, on the stand Monday between barbs for his adversaries, denied wrongdoing and said lenders were 无毛视频渆xtremely happy无毛视频� doing business with him. If anything, he testified, his financial statements lowballed his wealth and the value of assets such as his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Kise implored Engoron to give special weight to Trump无毛视频檚 testimony, citing the ex-president无毛视频檚 decades of experience as a real estate developer. When talking real estate, 无毛视频渋f my choices were Donald Trump or Attorney General James, respectfully, I would go with Donald Trump,无毛视频� Kise said.
He argued that the Democratic attorney general, in pursuit of a political opponent, was trying to 无毛视频渟ubstitute her judgment for that of the banks and, frankly, for that of someone who has been involved in the real estate industry for 50 years.无毛视频�
Defense lawyer Clifford Robert pressed the judge to dismiss claims against Trump无毛视频檚 elder sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr. The attorney argued that state lawyers had failed to prove that the sons, whom Trump appointed to run his company when he went to the White House in 2017, worked on the ex-president无毛视频檚 financial statements.
The sons, who signed off on some documents attesting to their father无毛视频檚 wherewithal, testified that they trusted accountants and lawyers for assurance the papers were accurate. Robert said they 无毛视频渁cted appropriately无毛视频� in doing so.
无毛视频淢y clients have been dragged into what is essentially a fight between the attorney general and their father, but here we are,无毛视频� Robert said. 无毛视频淭he time has come that we need to put an end to it.无毛视频�
Wallace countered that Trump and his sons each signed documents saying that they were responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements, which Engoron has already ruled were false and misleading.
Thursday无毛视频檚 arguments came a day after Trump无毛视频檚 daughter Ivanka Trump testified as the state无毛视频檚 last witness. She had unsuccessfully fought a subpoena.
Directed verdict requests are common in civil trials, though they无毛视频檙e somewhat infrequently granted. In Trump无毛视频檚 trial, Engoron is deciding the outcome, rather than a jury.
Before the trial, Engoron ruled that Trump, his company and other defendants committed fraud by exaggerating his net worth and the value of assets on his financial statements, which were used to obtain loans and make deals.
Engoron无毛视频檚 pretrial fraud ruling came with provisions that could strip the ex-president of such marquee properties as Trump Tower, though an appeals court is allowing him to remain in control of his holdings for now.
Also Thursday, Trump无毛视频檚 lawyers renewed their call to halt the trial at least until the appeals court makes a final decision on Engoron无毛视频檚 fraud finding. In court papers, they wrote that the judge had shown a 无毛视频済ross and open disregard for the integrity of the process无毛视频� and was causing 无毛视频渕ounting irreparable harm无毛视频� for the defendants.
The state rested its case Wednesday after six weeks of testimony from more than two dozen witnesses. James is seeking what she says is more than $300 million in ill-gotten gains and a ban on the defendants from doing business in New York.
Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump testified last week. When Trump Jr. returns to the stand on Monday, he无毛视频檒l be questioned by defense lawyers including his own. Trump company executives, outside accountants who worked on Trump无毛视频檚 financial statements and bank executives who worked on his loans also have testified as state witnesses.
Kise emphasized that lender Deutsche Bank made its own adjustments to the asset values listed on Trump无毛视频檚 financial statements, giving 无毛视频渉aircuts无毛视频� to the estimates for Trump Tower and other properties, and decided to lend him hundreds of millions of dollars anyway. Adjustments amounted to $2 billion in some years, documents showed.
Kise also attacked Trump lawyer-turned-foe Michael Cohen无毛视频檚 credibility. He said Cohen无毛视频檚 无毛视频減athetic performance无毛视频� undermined the state无毛视频檚 case when he backtracked from his initial testimony that Trump had directed him to boost the value of assets to 无毛视频渨hatever number Trump told us to.无毛视频�
Pressed on cross-examination during his Oct. 25 testimony, Cohen conceded that Trump never told him to inflate the numbers on his personal statement 无毛视频� though Cohen later said Trump signaled it indirectly, and 无毛视频渨e understood what he wanted.无毛视频� Robert asked at that point for an immediate directed verdict, which Engoron denied.
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