Judge ordered to punish Trumps and their lawyers by NY AG 2023
Trump’s and the other defendants’ legal teams responded to the New York lawsuit with verified responses last week.
The response is largely a legal brief in which a defendant must respond to each alleged paragraph in a lawsuit. The Trumps repeatedly stated in their responses that they lack sufficient knowledge to respond to numerous allegations.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event on Saturday, January 28, 2023, at the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina. On Monday, January 30, Trump filed a lawsuit against journalist Bob Woodward, claiming that Woodward never had permission to
publicly release interview recordings made for the book “Rage.” The attorney general asked Judge Arthur Engoron, who had previously considered sanctioning the Trump attorneys for repeating legal arguments he had already rejected, to hold a hearing, accept as admissions some of the responses they say are improper, reject some of their defenses, and sanction the defendants and their attorneys. AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) Trump sues Bob Woodward for releasing audio of their interviews.
Lawyers for New York Attorney General Letitia James wrote that a cursory review of the Verified Answers reveals that a number of the denials are demonstrably false and actually contradict sworn statements made by the Defendants in other proceedings.
They provide a number of examples, the most notable of which is Trump’s rejection of their description of the Trump Organization; despite his earlier admission,
Eric Trump’s denial that the Trump Organization purchased the family’s Westchester, New York, property Seven Springs for $7.5 million in 1995; and Ivanka Trump’s inability to recall whether she worked for the Trump Organization and met with bankers.
The Court has already admonished Defendants and their counsel for their continued invocation of meritless legal claims but exercised its discretion in not imposing such sanctions, having made its point. It does not appear that this point was taken, however, and OAG would ask the Court to renew the issue, the New York attorneys wrote.
James sued Trump and his eldest children for $250 million last year alleging they engaged in a decade long fraud that mislead lenders, insurers and others. The Trumps have denied any wrongdoing and said the lawsuit is politically motivated.
