In a court filing this Thursday, New York Attorney General Leticia James indicated that she plans to put the Trump family on trial next year in regards to her $250 million civil suit against the Trump Organization for business fraud, The Daily Beast reports.
“OAG intends to seek an expedited preliminary conference to set a trial date before the end of 2023. Allowing for an expedited trial schedule on an enforcement proceeding after extensive litigation over subpoena enforcement is precisely the circumstance that warrants keeping this case before Justice Engoron in the interests of judicial economy,” wrote assistant attorney general Kevin Wallace, who is one of the investigators on the case.
From The Daily Beast:
Former President Donald Trump and the heirs to his real estate and marketing empire—Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric—engaged in delay tactics that severely slowed down the investigation for years, repeatedly refusing to turn over documents or show up for sworn testimony. Their resistance earned the scorn of Justice Arthur F. Engoron, who often had to intervene and order them to comply.
That three-year investigation culminated in a lawsuit James filed last week against the Trump Organization, alleging rampant business and tax fraud.The Trumps are now trying to avoid Engoron presiding over that new lawsuit, claiming the case should instead go to another judge in the New York state court system’s commercial division. The former president’s personal lawyer, Alina Habba, submitted a court letter on Wednesday that accused the Office of the Attorney General of taking steps to avoid having the case reassigned.
In the Thursday filing, Wallace stressed that the case should continue moving forward as fast as possible.
“Given the fact that this action involves allegations of an ongoing scheme and conspiracy to obtain millions of dollars through fraudulent activity, and that defendants repeatedly have sought to delay the conclusion of OAG’s investigation, it is imperative that this case proceed quickly,” he wrote.
Read the full report over at The Daily Beast.
