NEW YORK
\nA lawyer for Donald Trump on Friday accused New York Attorney General Letitia James of ignoring \u201ceverything\u201d as she pursues a civil lawsuit alleging that the former president ran a systematic fraud at his family business.
\nChristopher Kise, Trump\u2019s lawyer, made the accusation at a hearing in a New York state court, just 10 days before the scheduled Oct. 2 trial.
\nJustice Arthur Engoron is considering arguments by Trump, his sons Donald Jr. and Eric, and the Trump Organization that the case should be thrown out because there was no fraud, no one was harmed, and the claims are too old.
\nJames, in contrast, wants a ruling even before the trial starts that the defendants are liable for fraud.
\nEngoron plans to rule on Sept. 26 on both sides\u2019 motions, and suggested that bigger principles are at stake.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re talking about fairness and honesty in the marketplace,\u201d he said at the hearing, which lasted nearly five hours. \u201cThe fact that nobody was hurt doesn\u2019t mean the case gets dismissed.\u201d
\nJames wants at least $250 million in penalties, and to bar Trump and his adult sons from running businesses in New York.
\nTrump holds a big lead in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, despite also facing four criminal indictments where he has pleaded not guilty. He has denied all wrongdoing, and branded the cases a Democrat \u201cwitch hunt\u201d against him.
\nJames accused Trump of lying in financial statements between 2011 and 2021 to obtain better terms on loans and insurance, defrauding banks and insurers.
\nShe said the lies included overvaluing properties including his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and Trump Tower penthouse in Manhattan, and inflating his fortune by as much as $3.6 billion.
\nKise said the evidence was not there, that James\u2019 contrary statements did not make it so, and that valuation disputes were immaterial.
\n\u201cThe foundation of the case is to ignore everything,\u201d Kise said. \u201cThe case comes down to prosecuting the defendants for engaging in successful business transactions.\u201d
\nJames maintains that Trump knew his valuations were false.
\nThis allegedly included valuing Mar-a-Lago at $739 million by pretending it was unrestricted property though Trump had given up rights to develop it other than as a club, and reporting that the penthouse was nearly triple its actual size.
\n\u201cIn (the) defendants\u2019 world, there\u2019s no objective truth,\u201d said Andrew Amer, a lawyer from James\u2019 office. \u201cDefendants have clearly stepped through the looking glass.\u201d
\nIn June, a state appeals court in Manhattan dismissed claims against Trump\u2019s daughter Ivanka Trump and various other claims predating July 2014 or February 2016 because of statutes of limitations.
\nThe court left it to Engoron to determine which parts of the case could proceed. Engoron will also rule on James\u2019 request to sanction the defendants for repeatedly raising \u201cfrivolous\u201d arguments he had already rejected.
\nAt Friday\u2019s hearing, the judge appeared dissatisfied when Kise suggested that banks might not have relied on Trump\u2019s valuations when making loans.
\n\u201cYou cannot make false statements and use them in business,\u201d Engoron said, banging his fist.
\nLast week, Trump sued Engoron, accusing him of taking too long to narrow the case.
\nThe lawsuit sought to delay the trial, to allow the defendants to prepare properly after Engoron decides which claims the attorney general can pursue.
\nDefense lawyers have also accused James of ignoring the June appeals court decision.
\nThe appeals court is expected to decide next week whether the trial should proceed as scheduled. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW YORK A lawyer for Donald Trump on Friday accused New York Attorney General Letitia James of ignoring \u201ceverything\u201d as she pursues a civil lawsuit alleging that the former president ran a systematic fraud at his family business. Christopher Kise, Trump\u2019s lawyer, made the accusation at a hearing in a New York state court, just […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":352849,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-357992","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n