The $250 million civil trial against Donald Trump and his company has taken a turn as Judge Arthur Engoron has ordered Ivanka Trump, the former president’s daughter, to testify in the case.
This development comes after New York Attorney General Letitia James subpoenaed Ivanka Trump, asserting her importance as a witness and her ongoing ties to the Trump Organization.
The civil trial revolves around allegations made by the New York Attorney General’s office that Donald Trump inflated his assets in financial statements to obtain more favorable loans and insurance policies.
The trial aims to shed light on these allegations and determine the extent of Trump’s involvement in such practices. In addition to Donald Trump, his children, including Ivanka Trump, have also been implicated in the case due to their close ties to the Trump Organization.
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Judge Engoron’s order for Ivanka Trump to testify in the trial comes with a stipulation that she cannot be called as a witness before November 1, allowing her time to appeal the ruling if she chooses to do so.
Trump’s attorneys had challenged the subpoena, citing an appeals court ruling that had previously dropped Ivanka Trump as a defendant in the case due to statute of limitations issues.
They argued that the Attorney General’s office was attempting to harass and burden Ivanka Trump despite the appeals court’s decision.
Trump’s attorneys put forth two main arguments in their challenge to the subpoena. Firstly, they claimed that the Attorney General’s office had waited too long to subpoena Ivanka Trump, and secondly, they argued that the office lacked jurisdiction over her as she no longer resides in New York.
The defense contended that Ivanka Trump, as a former White House official, still possesses important information relevant to the case. They argued that despite no longer being a defendant, she remains financially and professionally intertwined with the Trump Organization, making her a person still under their control.
In response, the Attorney General’s office highlighted Ivanka Trump’s continued connections with the Trump Organization, emphasizing her financial and professional ties.
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They asserted that she profited from the sale of Trump’s former Washington, D.C. hotel and remains under the control of the organization.
The office claimed that Ivanka Trump’s involvement in the family business extends to various aspects such as owning and collecting proceeds from the hotel sale, managing her household staff and credit card bills, and even receiving payment for her legal fees in the ongoing trial.
Ivanka Trump’s siblings, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, as well as their father, are all expected to testify in the civil trial.
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