Closing arguments in a non-jury civil trial stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit against former President Trump and his business empire are scheduled to be handed down Thursday.
The case began in October after Mr. James sued Mr. Trump, his family and his business empire, accusing them of inflating financial statements and defrauding banks.
New York Judge Engoron withdraws offer to hear closing argument in Nyag civil trial against Trump
Trump and his family have denied any wrongdoing. The former president has repeatedly stated that his own assets are actually undervalued. President Trump has repeatedly said there are disclaimers in his own financial statements and has asked banks to evaluate his numbers.
Closing arguments are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET. It is unclear whether Mr. Trump will attend the proceedings.
Judge Arthur Engoron on Wednesday rescinded the court's request for President Trump to deliver his own closing argument on Thursday.
Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James and former President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)
Engoron initially approved Trump's request for his own closing statement, but the former president will limit his remarks to “commenting on the material relevant facts in the evidence and the application of relevant law to those facts.” said it was necessary. . ”
Engoron said Trump would be prohibited from introducing new evidence or commenting on “unrelated matters” and would not be allowed to “give a campaign speech” or badmouth court officials or the attorney general. He said that it is not possible to do so.
But President Trump's lawyer Chris Kiss said in an email to Engoron that President Trump has been “unjustly diminished and disrespected by an out-of-control and politically motivated attorney general” and that “there is nothing to say. They should be allowed to talk about it.” ”
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Kise also requested that closing arguments be postponed due to the death of Trump's mother-in-law, Amalia Knabs, whom Kise said Trump was “very close to.”
Former first lady Melania Trump announced her mother's death late Tuesday.
Former US President Donald Trump appears in court on the third day of his civil fraud trial in New York State Supreme Court on October 4, 2023 in New York City. However, although his lawyers asked for the former president a chance to speak in closing arguments, Judge Engoron later said he would not be allowed to do so. (Mary Altafia Pool/Getty Images)
Engoron said he was “disappointed to hear the sad news” but denied the request.
Mr. Engoron also imposed a deadline on Mr. Trump's behalf for Mr. Kise to agree to abide by the rules for closing arguments, but Mr. Kise missed the deadline.
“Since I have not heard from you by the third extension deadline (noon today), Mr. Trump agrees to the reasonable and lawful restrictions that I have imposed as a precondition to making a closing statement beyond what his lawyers have offered. I don't think he will.' Therefore, he will not speak in court tomorrow,'' Engoron wrote in an email Wednesday.
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A Trump spokesperson told Fox News Digital that James filed a lawsuit against Trump “under consumer protection laws that deny him the right to a jury.”
A courtroom sketch depicts attorney Jesús Suárez questioning Eli Bartov as former President Donald Trump and Judge Arthur Engoron listen in a Manhattan civil courtroom on Thursday, December 7, 2023 in New York. (Jane Rosenberg)
“A jury trial was never an option,” the spokesperson said. “It is unfortunate that a jury will not be able to hear how absurd the merits of this case are and conclude that no wrongdoing occurred.”
James is seeking more than $370 million from Trump and his family, claiming it is repayment for illegally obtained profits.
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Back in September, Mr. Engoron accused Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization of building a real estate empire by overstating assets on paper needed to make deals and securing financing, and by inflating his net worth to banks, insurance companies, etc. The court ruled that the company had deceived and committed fraud.
In September, Engoron ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization had committed fraud. ((Photo by: Erin Schaff Pool/Getty Images))
“He ruled against me without knowing anything about me,” Trump said on the witness stand during the trial. “He called me a fraud, but he didn't know anything about me.”
Throughout the trial, Mr. Trump's lawyers called witnesses, including a former head of Deutsche Bank, who testified that the bank viewed Mr. Trump as a “customer whale” and sought additional business from him.
Trump's defense also brought in expert witnesses such as New York University accounting professor Eli Bartov to review Trump's financial statements at issue in the lawsuit and found no evidence of accounting fraud. said.
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Bartov testified last month that President Trump's financial statements did not violate accounting principles, suggesting that everything at issue, including the estimated value of his Trump Tower penthouse, which increased significantly from year to year, was simply a mistake. did.
“My main finding is that there is no evidence of any accounting fraud,” Bartov testified. He said there were “no material misstatements” in President Trump's financial statements.
