The last-ditch legal effort by former President Trump’s attorneys to delay the start of his civil fraud trial in New York was denied Thursday by the state’s appellate division, with the trial expected to proceed as planned on Monday. The appeals court’s order comes after Justice Engoron, the trial judge, found Trump liable for fraud Tuesday, ruling that New York Attorney General Letitia James proved the core elements of her case against Trump nd his businesses.
While a judge had issued a temporary pause in the case after Trump claimed the trial judge was ignoring an appellate ruling. the New York attorney general’s office called Trump’s effort a “brazen and meritless attempt” to “usurp” the authority of Justice Engoron.
Last September, the New York attorney general’s office sued Trump, the Trump Organization and two of his adult children — Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., claiming it uncovered more than a decade of fraud during a multi-year investigation. The lawsuit claims Trump’s company sought lower taxes and better insurance coverage by falsely inflating and deflating the value of its assets. James’s office is seeking some $250 million in financial penalties, plus the barring of Trump and his children from serving as officers or directors of New York-registered or licensed corporations.
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