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A New York judge ordered Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump to testify at the ongoing trial of the state’s US$250 million civil fraud lawsuit against the former president and his sprawling real estate company.
Justice Arthur Engoron on Friday denied Ivanka Trump’s request to strike down a subpoena for her testimony about various financial transactions she was involved with or had knowledge of. The decision by the Manhattan judge was a win for New York Attorney General Letitia James, who filed the suit last year.
The former president’s daughter was initially a defendant in the suit, but she won dismissal by an appeal court earlier this year.
Her lawyer argued the subpoena was a form of “harassment” to bypass her dismissal from the suit. Trump and his adult sons Donald Trump Jnr and Eric Trump, who are defendants in the suit, are all expected to testify later in the trial, now in its fourth week.
Donald Trump, the Republican front runner in the 2024 campaign for president, is accused of inflating his assets by billions of dollars in financial documents provided to banks and insurers.
The New York trial is one of six he is facing as he seeks to return to the White House next year. Trump denies wrongdoing and says the case is part of a “witch hunt” by Democrats.
Lawyers for the attorney general argued in a Thursday court filing that Ivanka Trump’s testimony was crucial to the case due to her past close involvement with the Manhattan-based Trump Organization.
“While no longer a defendant in this action, she indisputably has personal knowledge of facts relevant to the claims against the remaining individual and entity defendants,” the state said in a court filing.
Trump nearly fired Ivanka and Jared Kushner via tweet, book says
Trump nearly fired Ivanka and Jared Kushner via tweet, book says
“But even beyond that, Ms Trump remains financially and professionally intertwined with the Trump Organization and other defendants and can be called as a person still under their control.”
On Friday, the judge rejected Ivanka Trump’s argument that she no longer has sufficient ties to New York to subject to the court’s jurisdiction.
“Ms Trump has clearly availed herself of the privilege of doing business in New York,” Engoron said.
The judge pointed to filings from the state that he said showed that Ivanka Trump owns property and does business in the state.
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Trump gained over US$100 million through fraud, New York says as civil trial starts
Trump gained over US$100 million through fraud, New York says as civil trial starts
Engoron also said it was too late for her to submit a sworn affidavit verifying that she does not transact business in New York, an idea floated by her lawyer in court on Friday.
Ivanka Trump’s lawyer also blasted the state in a court filing for insisting her testimony is crucial despite having never attempted to depose her before trial as the state did with her father and brothers.
“Having ignored this purportedly essential testimony during the entire course of the case, the [New York attorney general] nonetheless attempts to conjure up a way to needlessly haul Ms Trump into a highly publicised trial for the obvious purpose of harassment of both Ms Trump and her father,” according to her lawyer’s court filing.
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